Savin' Me
by ricecooker2000
Summary: /Indefinite Hiatus/ He thought he saved her from the desert that night. But it was actually her that saved him in the end. A REALISTIC account on the character development of the Sabaku no Gaara. Gaarax Oc maybe TemarixShikamaruxIno
1. Prologue

Notes: There will be **spoilers** all the way to manga chapters 300 as the story progresses, so consider this a warning. I will post warnings before each chapter, but it's your choice in the end after all.  
Anyways,  
The story right now takes place after the invasion of Konoha and Gaara's defeat by Naruto.  
Basically, I thought Gaara's dramatic transformation from the demonic killer into Suna's well respected leader wasn't just because of Naruto's influence. There's such a big gap between those years that I can take liberties with the fic but I will try my best to stay in character for the most part. (And the prologue isn't really supposed to make sense, but it will later, promise :).

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**Prologue**

The sun is burning brightly in the clear sky.

The girl stumbles blindly. Her ragged breathing is the only sound puncturing the deathly silence of the desert. She leaves behind a bloody trail in the burning sand, made from her torn feet and the wounds on her hands. The unmerciful sun beats down on her frail body, clothed in thread-bare rags. Her short, black hair is matted against her perspiring face, and her dark eyes are half-closed in exhaustion. A silver locket dangles from the chain that hangs from her neck, which she fingers tentatively in short periods for reassurance.

She does not know where she is going, or where she came from, but a voice inside of her urged her to keep walking.

As long as she is not found. As long as she isn't captured.

She makes her way on top of a sand dune, and paused as her eyes lights upon some far away buildings.

I must make it to the village, she thinks to herself. Grasping her locket in her injured hand, she begins to trudge forward once more.

Above her, the sun begins its slow descent into the burning sand.


	2. Chapter 1

Notes: Wasn't that a short prologue? Ok, but that was to make sure people who disregarded the spoiler warning will not complain later.

Spoiler Warning: Right after the invasion of Konoha  
Disclaimer: Do not own the characters of Naruto.

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**  
A Full Moon**

The pale full moon hung in the empty night sky. Not a cloud was in sight. Just the endless sea of sand and the vast horizon.

This is the way he likes it. No people. No distractions.

The red-haired youth sits in silent meditation. He is surrounded by a thick shell of sand, as a precaution against possible attackers or unwanted solicitors. The only link between him and the outside world is a tiny air hole at the top, where moonlight is shining through. From the outside, there is nothing but an unremarkable a sand dune.

It was only nights like this when nobody dares to approach him. They fear his inner demon, which is at its strongest during a full moon. Even his two siblings, his only remaining family, do not object whenever he spent the whole night out in the desert. Temari, his older sister, always makes sure he is dressed warmly enough; for the desert night could sometime reach extremely low temperatures, while Kankuro his older brother, heaves a sigh of relief when he shuts the door behind him.

Gaara doesn't mind at all. In fact, he rather enjoys these moments of solitude. It gives him time to contemplate about things. About his past, his on-going training, and his future.

Ever since he was little, people feared him and avoided him. Monster, freak, demon-child, there was no end to the names. His only respite was within his caretaker, Yashamaru, the twin brother of his mother. But even he had his limits, as young Gaara found out on that frightful night when his uncle tried to kill him.

Ever since that day, Gaara trusted only himself, thought of only himself, and loved only himself. Killing became his reason for living, and the pained screams of the dying was music to his ears. He was consumed with bloodlust and was determined to make others feel the same pain as he did. It seemed inevitable that he would be completely consumed with revenge and hatred, and would lose control in a rampage of killing.

Until he met Uzumaki Naruto. A cursed boy like himself, who was shunned by society and had no friends. During their heated battle, the Konoha genin reached out to him and urged him to use his strength to protect the people precious to him. As much as Gaara hate to admit it, the blond ninja opened his eyes that day. He was so self-absorbed in his own pain and hatred that he couldn't see the suffering of his people. The same desperation that partook in his creation pushed the village to commit treason against the Hidden Leaf Village. After the rest of the sand ninjas returned to Sunagakure, Gaara swore to prevent the village from taking such drastic actions again.

Determined in bringing prosperity and peace to his homeland, even if its people still fear and hate him, the red-haired shinobi is undertaking training to become even stronger. He did not want the village to be coerced into taking desperate measures ever again, and he will gladly be used as a tool if situation calls for it.  
He trains under his long-time mentor, Baki- sensei, who demands much from him, and these quiet nights under the full moon are the only peaceful moments Gaara have for himself.

He takes a deep breath and clears his thoughts. Meditation is important to him, for that is the closest thing to rest he will ever get. Sleeping is not an option for him because Shukaku, the demon that resides within his body, will take over if he ever lets his guard down.

Speaking of the devil, the monster in his consciousness started to laughing suddenly.

_What's so funny,_ Gaara demands.

**_Blood… I smell blood._**

Gaara finds himself starting to lose control, and opens his eyes quickly. His chakra senses a presence immediately. Upon further inspection, he found that the other chakra presenceis almost nonexistent, a sign the person's on the edge of death. He also notices that his airhole was being blocked, and there is a disturbing wetness on his cheek. From the way Shukaku is acting, Gaara concludes it must be blood.

Without hesitation, he releases his sand shield, and as the sand starts to disperse, he can make out a slight form slumped over his shield. The blood came from a bleeding hand, and as more of the sand falls away, Gaara could see more of the intruder.

A sand-encrusted face, covered with unsightly black tangles of hair comesinto view, and before Gaara could react, the unconscious form tumbles into his lap.

The stench of blood is too enticing, and Gaara finds himself losing to Shukaku's overpowering influence. He roughly shoves the body away and stands up. Before he could stop himself, sharp points of sand shoot towards the prone figure, intent on releasing more blood.

However, the daggers of sand stop just short. The grains of sand fall uselessly to the ground, leaving the body untouched.

His pale green eyes widens in amazement, and taking advantage of the equally shocked Shukaku, Gaara finally wrests control from the biju. After regaining his self-composure, Gaara kneels besides the umoving body, and cautiously examines the sand-covered figure. Noticing that it is a girl, and a scrawny one at that, the sand ninja frowns in puzzlement.

_How did this girl, with all of her chakra gone and at the brink of death, repel my sand?_

Curiousity getting the best of him, Gaara lifts the unconscious girl from the ground and begins to head back towards Sunagakure.

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Notes: Huh.. so how was that? By the way, the girl is my original character.  
Next chapter preview: 

_"You're finally awake." A low voice reaches her ears. The girl tenses. She strains for a look at the speaker, but to no avail. Her body is too exhausted to move an inch._


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Do not own Naruto characters.

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**Gratitude**

"Did you hear about the strange girl that the Sabaku picked up last night?"

"I heard he appeared out of nowhere with the half-dead girl in his arms! She has peculiar injuries on her hands too. I wonder what happened to her."

"You think _he_ had something to do with that?"

"Shush! You shouldn't openly say such things. These walls have ears!"

Temari's ears pricks up at the mention of Gaara's name. With a nonchalant expression, she listens carefully to the gossiping medic-nins. After hearing what she wanted, the blond kunochi walks away in the direction of Sunagakure Hospital.

_So that's where he went off to.  
_  
Temari smiles in relief. She got worried when morning came and Gaara still has not returned. He usually comes back by dawn to prepare for his morning training with Baki-sensei. When she did not catch sight of her youngest brother, she went out to look for him, praying that he did not have one of his... episodes.

After inquiring a grumpy lady at the front desk, Temari headed towards the room where she hopes Gaara was. She stops in front of the designated room and slowly, quietly opens the wooden door.

The room is dark, mainly because the barest gleam of sunlight is filtered by the closed window shutters. The other reason is because of the gloomy ninja leaning with his arms crossed against the adjacent wall. He hardly glanced up as Temari entered the room, but rather his gaze is concentrated on the frail form of a girl lying on the pristine hospital bed.

"Gaara, who is this?" she asks the silent ninja as she approaches the bedside.

"Don't know," he replies.

The older ninja scrutinizes the girl.

There are heavy bandages covering her hands, and tiny cuts could be seen along her entire body, most likely from Sungakure's infamous sandstroms. Her face was cleaned earlier, but her short black hair looks tangled and wild. Around her neck hangs a tiny silver trinket that shimmered despite the dark room.

The girl herself looks young. Way too young, Temari ruefully thought, to undergoe such extreme conditions. She estimates her age to about ten or eleven, a year or so younger than Gaara. She has high cheekbones, and with her starved condition, gave her a gaunt appearance.

"Where did you find her?"

"The desert." Said in the same indifferent tone.

"How-"

"Doesn't matter. The thing is, she is very unusual. I want to observe her, without Baki-sensei, or for that matter, the rest of The Council interferring. I won't be going to training today."

She turns towards him in surprise. Her eyes searches his face for an explanation, but his features remained his usual expressionless countenence.

_When had Gaara taken such interest in a single living person, not to mention… a girl?_

After a moment's pause, the blonde genin nods her assent, and says, "I will tell Baki-sensei that you want some more time to rest. But what is so special about this girl?"

"I'll tell you once I'm sure. You may leave now."

Temari almost scoffed under her breath. He is dismissing her with impatience even though she is looking out in concern for him. But she has to watch herself in his presence. There is no telling what Gaara is capable of once he loses his temper.Although he does seem more calm after his fight in Konoha, there is still a possibility that he might lash out occasionally.

Once a prick, always a prick, she reminds herself with resignation as she closes the door on her way out.

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_Mother, father… where are you?_

_You think it's okay to just leave her like this?_

_Not like we have a choice, this is all supposed to be part of his plan. Besides, she can take care of herself…_

_I have a bad feeling about this._

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The first thing she noticed was the constricted movement of her hands. It was hard to flex her fingers because of bandages.

_Bandages?_

Her mind still fuzzy and disoriented, she does not remember when she had bound her own hands. She wills her heavy eyelids to open. Unfortunately, the rest of her body will not respond to her commands to move. The throbbing ache in the back of her head does not help matters either. After a while, she gives in to total exhaustion and just laid still. A few rays of sunlight from the window to her right allowed her to silently assess her surroundings.

She is lying on a low bed, covered by a light blanket. Her old clothes are nowhere in sight, and the cotton gown she is wearing now is far from comfortable. She breathes a silent sigh of relief when she felt the familiar weight of the locket on her chest.

"You're finally awake." A low voice reaches her ears. The girl tenses.

She strains for a look at the speaker, but to no avail. Her body is too exhausted to move an inch.

Muffled footsteps approaches her from the foot of the bed to her left side. Although her vision is hampered by the darkness of the room, she is still able to make out a pale face with shocking crimson hair. On his forehead, slightly to the side, is an intricate tattoo in the color of dark blood. There are looming dark circles surrounding his piercing eyes, and with the lack of light in the room, gave the boy a haunted look.

This must be what Death looks like, she thinks numbly.

Pale green eyes stares down at her, striking her with his over-powering presence. She flinches perceptibly. His stare unnerved her, but she cannot tear her own eyes away.

_His eyes… so beautiful but so empty._

For some reason, she knew that he is the one who brought her to safety. And since he did not leave her out to die, she was wanted alive. She does not detect any malice in his gaze, although there is definitely something disturbing about him.  
Tentatively, she smiles her gratitude at him, before closing her eyes and succumbing to fatigue.

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Her eyes are blue like the ocean, he recalls. Clear and bright with the innocence of childhood. And she had smiled at him, wordlessly thanking him with her eyes. He has never met a person who can say so much without even speaking.

"Gaara! Are you listening?"

He snaps out of his musings and stares blankly at his older sister. The three siblings are having a rare dinner together for once. Temari is looking at him with annoyance while Kankuro is gazing at him curiously.

"What's gotten into you today? You never space out like this," chides the female ninja.

"Sorry," he absently mumbles.

Kankuro's mouth drops open in surprise, and the fork that Temari was holding slips out of her hand. The two older siblings exhanged a look and then stared at the brooding red head.

"Ok. Now I know something's up. Did something happen with that girl?" Temari demands in her usual bossy manner.

Kankuro looks at her, then Gaara, then back to her with confusion, and demands, "What girl!"

Gaara sighs with barely contained annoyance. He arbuptly stands up, announcing, "I'm done eating" and proceeds to head towards his room.

"Wait a minute! How is the girl?"

He paused in front of the door, turns his head slightly and replies, "She'll live."

The slam of the door silenced any further questions.

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Note: Well... I would really like some reviews on whether or not I'm staying in character for Gaara. I think he should be a little bit tamer after his fight with Naruto, but there should be some psycho left in him right? I need feedback! 


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Naruto characters are not mine.

Warning: Some mature content, just so you're prepared.

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**  
The Silence**

Her deep marine eyes gazes out her bedside window. The setting sun paints livid colors on the canvas of a sky, a spectacular display from nature. Reds, pinks, oranges, yellows, and even purples blending together harmoniously to create a magnificent display.  
Yet, she sighes, wondering what happened to blue and green.  
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They must feel left out. Like the green in his eyes. It speaks of his solitude and loneliness. There is no light in them, just a grudging hold on life._

Hushed whispers on the other side of the door alerts her to their presence. She turns her head towards her visitors slowly, her right hand going instinctively to grasp the locket hanging from her neck.

Three youths entered the room, and while she recognizes the boy with the crimson hair, the other two she has never seen before. There is a tall girl with blond hair tied up in four buns on the top of her head. Next to him is a stout-looking male clothed entirely in black with strange purple markings on his face.

Not surprisingly, her eyes cannot help but drift back to the short red head. His dominating presence demands attention.

Gaara is surprised to say the least to see her sitting up already, and with all her bandages gone. As he walked closer, he notices the wounds he saw just yesterday are no where in sight, and with no signs of scarring either. The deep gashes on her hands have already healed; leaving pale, new skin as the only evidence of her previous injuries. His eyes narrowed.

_Just as I thought, the girl has a tremendous amount of chakra. The same kind that protected her from my sand attack that night. Because of it, she is able to rapidly heal herself._

His mind worked furiously, trying to find a plausible answer to the girl's mysterious source of power.

The girl herself acts as if nothing was amiss. Her gaze traveled languidly over the three, and then came back to rest on him. There is a cautious alertness to her feature, but fear was never present.

"What is your name?" Gaara finally asks.

She frowns. With her left hand, she points at her mouth and shakes her head once.

Gaara curses under his breath. This is an unforseen obstacle in his calculations.

"You can't talk?" Temari asks in a gentle voice. The girl nods her head sadly.

"What now, Gaara?" inquires Kankuro.

"Can you write?" Gaara asks brusquely. The girl shakes her head.

Gaara feels like he has just hit upon a dead end. Now there is no way to find out more about her mysterious abilities. She is of no use to him now.

His frustration is threatening to unleash itself, and he has to dispel his anger before he do something regretable. Turning away briskly, Gaara storms out of the room.

Temari watches asher brother loudly slams the door shut, and turns back with a heavy sigh to smile an apology to the little girl.

"My name is Temari, and this is Kankuro," she gestures at the other ninja, "And the tempermental one is Gaara. He is the one who found you." Seeing the downcast expression on the young girl's face, Temari immediately seizes an opportunity to distract her by asking questions.

"Alright, if don't mind, could you answer some questions for me?" A nod.

"How old are you?"The girl holdsup both hands with all of her fingers outstretched. Ten.

"Do you remember what happened to you?" A shake.

"Did you come from another village?" A nod.

"Are your parents there?" The girl pauses, unsure of how to answer.

"Do you know where your parents are?" A shake.

"Were you by yourself the whole time?" A shake.

"How many were with you?" She raises one hand, and lifts two fingers.

"Were they attacked, injured, or killed?" A shake.

"So they just left you?" A disbelieving Kankuro cuts in. Seeing the girl's face crumple up with unshed tears, Temari glares at the tactless ninja, and orders him out.

"Some people don't know when to keep their mouth shut…" the blond kunochi trails off as she notices the desolate expression on the girl's face.

Temari thinks this girl resembles Gaara very much in that they both are alone in the world. Kankuro and herself might be the only living relatives he has left, but he acts like they don't exist most of the time. His recent behavior is an improvement somewhat. He no longer threatened to kill them at the slightest provocation. There has been no episodes of Shukaku emerging, but Temari isn't sure of how long that will last. But despite those changes, Gaara still alienates himself from them and she doesn't blame him.

_How can he bear to expose himself when all he ever received was rejection?_

Both youths are completely isolated from the rest of society, unwanted and not needed. But while Gaara suffers under self-imposed exile, this girl was abandoned. She probably did not have any say in the matter, and was left out to die. Even if they found her parents or relatives, it's unlikely that they would welcome her back with open arms.

The child's current dismal situation tugged at Temari's heartstrings. The blond kuniochi sincerely does not want this frail-looking girl to go through what her youngest brother had gone through. She might have made the mistake of not being there for Gaara when he really needed her, but she will not repeat the same mistake twice.

Temari's sharp jade eyes lights upon the girl's tangled mess of hair with mild disapproval. With a sudden onset of maternal instincts, the blond lays a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder and says quietly, "Come on. Let's get you cleaned up."

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A middle-aged med-nin peruses his patients' medical records in silence. Glancing at the fading rays of sunlight, he decides to call it a day. There is a homemade dinner along with a loving wife waiting at home for him. Eagerly, the med-nin begins to close up his office. He was just about to set the rest of the files away when the doors to his office flew open. His eyes widens in fear at the sight of the imposing figure with blood-red hair and a huge gourd of sand slung across his back.

"Gaara! H-how may I help you?"

"Give me the medical files on the girl I brought in." His cold, demanding tone left no room for questions, and the doctor hurries to comply. His shaking hands produces a slim scroll of paper and hands it cautiously to the red head.

Without another word, the silent shinobi stalks out of the room, leaving the man trembling in his wake.

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The people shied away from him unconsciously. Milling throngs of villagers automatically made a path for him. It is something of a habitual ritual, and the red headed ninja paid them no heed. His thoughts instead are on the slim scroll clenched in his right hand, and its unbelievable content.  
As he exited the doctor's office, he started reading the file. What he found there disturbed him. Even if he closed his eyes, the neatly-written words still burned there in his head.

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_Patient name: Unknown  
__Sex: Female  
__Height: 139 cm  
__Weight: 31.7 kg ( due to emancipated state)  
__Hair color: Black  
__Eye color: Blue_

_Notes: Patient acquired multiple burn injuries to hands, mostly likely afflicted in a cruel torture process.  
__Reoccuring slash marks to the wrists. Can be caused by failed suicide attempts.  
__A few head traumas. Most likely to lead to memory loss.  
__Upon further examination, patient seemed to be completely lacking her vocal cords. Doesn't seem like it was physically removed, and there were no trace of scaring near throat area. Most likely a birth defect._

However, the last few sentences were the ones that engraved themselves in Gaara's mind.

_There is convincing evidence that patient was physically and sexually abused:  
__Finger-marked bruises around chest and waist area. Internal vaginal tears. Over fifty percent of body tissue are new, suggesting extensive recovery of injuries accumalating over the years. Fortunately, patient has a phenomenal recovery rate._

_Hypothesis: Since patient's behavior suggested she did not retain any traumatic memories, it is reasonable to assume that the minor concussions resulted in amnesia. Depending on conditions, it is unknown if patient will ever recover her memories._

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Upon reaching the building that he might call home, Gaara carefully hides the file inside the loose folds of his clothing.  
There is no need for his siblings to know.

His ears picks up Temari's voice from the kitchen. Since Kankuro usually isn't home until late at night, and she rarely has company over, Gaara decides to investigate.

Sitting on the kitchen counter, as if she belongs there, is the girl.

Gaara's eyes widened in surprise. Her face is scrubbed clean, and her shortly-cropped hair trimmed and combed neatly. Instead of the hospital gown, she is now wearing an oversized black tunic that he recognizes as what Temari wore when she was younger. With the exception of her skeletal appearance, she looks almost… normal.

Temari is stirring some sort of concoction, and occasionally, the girl would dip a finger in the mixture and sample it thoughtfully. The older ninja has an unusually content expression on her face, but that quickly changed when she noticed his presence.

"You're back," Temari greets him cautiously, as she wipes her hands on a nearby dishtowel. He ignores her, and concentrates his stare on the silent girl on the counter. Said girl just gazes back at him wordlessly. Without fear.

Her clear azure eyes; so innocent and calm made him want to grab her by the throat and demand why. Why she can be so peaceful, so silent and docile after what happened to her.

But of course, she does not remember Gaara reminds himself.

_And if she ever does… what would she do then? Would she lose her mind like I did? Be completely consumed with hatred and thoughts of revenge like I was?_

His questions run rampant through his head. And yet, for some reason, he does not want to hear the answers.

Instead, he just stands there and demands, "Why is she here?"

"Well the hospital discharged her, and since she has no where to go, I decided that she could live with us for a while," Temari's eyes hardens perceptibly, "and I won't change my mind."

If Gaara was taken aback at Temari's sudden over-protectiveness, he didn't show it. He nods in acquiesence, and climbs the stairs up into his room.

Temari sighs with relief at Gaara's implicit approval, and grins at the girl. She brushes some stray strands of jet-black hair from her face and says, "You can stay as long as you want."

The quiet smile that answered her made her grin even wider.

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Note: I hope that wasn't too traumatizing. Ok, so the girl's a mute, which will make conversations with her tricky, but I'll figure it out. By the way, her name is not revealed yet. It will in the next chapter.  
I wonder if Temari's character is getting too mushy. But since she's the only female in the household, there's no one else to play the subsitute motherly figure... I would like your opinions though. 

Next chapter preview:

_His eyes caught a sudden movement. A shadowy figure jumps from one roof to another, and then disappears from sight. Gaara tenses. _

_No one in their right mind would leave their homes at this time of night, so the only plausible explanation in his mind is that of an intruder._


	5. Chapter 4

Notes: Very long chapter... because I had finals and didn't want to study. XD  
There is also a massive amount of symbolism here.. if you don't get it, don't worry abt it.. you're not supposed to. I researched extensively on some Naruto characters and plot lines... and this is a foreshadowing of a very very complex plot. But I don't want people to get discouraged, so of course I'll just add in interesting tidbits along the way.

Disclaimer: Do not own Naruto characters.

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**Drawings**

The girl settled herself in her new life with exceptional ease.

Temari, who became "the mother", is especially overprotective of her. Having lived with males in the household for most of her life, the blond ninja welcomed another female presence. She was even overheard saying the "two insensitive jerks" can learn a thing or two from the girl's sweet disposition. She sees the girl as another chance to atone for what happened with Gaara. Every smile and ever hug that she freely gave the child, she pretended that it was also for her youngest brother, who she have willingly alienated for so long.

Kankuro, although he presented himself aloof at first, quickly melted at the sight of the girl's disarming smile and sparkling eyes. Even his comments of "the little brat" became an affectionate nickname. He became her "big brother" in a subtle way. He will never show his affections as blatantly as Temari, but once in a while, he would bring her a new toy, or sometimes allowed her to witness the testing of his latest puppets.

Finally, there is Gaara. He seemed to have accepted the newest arrival in their household, but that didn't mean he had to interact with her. In fact, he acted like she did not exist most of the time. No matter how often the girl smiled at him, or how much she sought quietly for his attention, the red head did not acknowledge her presence.

At least, that's what the elder siblings saw.

There is no way they could've known how many times she snuck up on the roof after she was tucked into bed. Nor could they have any idea of how many hours she spent gazing at the night sky with the meditating Gaara sitting nearby. During those moments, the two youths never spoke.

They didn't need to. Two lonely souls, who can find a solace within the other, do not have the need for words.

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"You know... she needs a name"

"Yeah… it's not right to call her 'girl' whenever we want her attention."

"Oh! I got an idea!" With that said, Temari walks over to a stray bush and plucked out two branches. Curious, Kankuro followed her as she sits down next to the ever-silent girl in the sand.

The three are outside on the training grounds. Since the girl insisted in following the sand siblings everywhere, and Temari didn't feel comfortable with leaving her all alone in the house, she was allowed to watch their training sessions. Temari and Kankuro, both exhausted from Gaara's relentless attacks, both called for a break. Gaara himself dissappeared with Baki-sensei, probably for more training.

Taking one branch in hand, Temari draws a circle in the soft sand, and says, "That is my name, Temari. A ball that kids like to play with." The blond ninja then points at Kankuro and draws a rough sketch of a crow in the sand next to the ball and explains, "That is Karasu, the pet of a famous ninja called Kankuro. See how each of the drawings represent our names? Now you try." She hands the other branch to the quiet girl and waits.

The girl frowns thoughtfully as she grips the branch lightly. With her pink tongue sticking out in concentration, she starts to draw. Temari and Kankuro both lean in over her shoulders, anxious to see what her answer is.

A round body, with four stubby legs and a circle that is supposed to be a head appears. Two triangles protruded from the head, and almond-shaped eyes along with whiskers emerged. The girl finishes the drawing with two curved brushstrokes at the rear end of the body, and looks up at the two older ninjas for approval.

"Looks like a cat… Neko?" Kankuro spoke first, "Is that your name?" She nods vigorously, her face beaming with happiness.

"That is such a adorable name!" He ruffles Neko's hair affectionately, "fitting for such a cute girl, right Temari?"

Temari is strangely quiet and doesn't answer. Her green gaze is transfixed upon the feline creature that the girl just drew. The cat has two tails, but whether it is because of a strange coincidence or the girl's fanciful imagination, she does not know.

Light footsteps made the three turn their heads. Gaara walks towards them with a brooding face. Temari quickly reaches over and wipes away their drawings, and stands up.

"Did sensei say anything?" She asks him. He shakeshis head. Gaara glances down at the girl, who is making pictures in the sand with a twig.

"Her name is Neko," Temari informs him, "and the only way of communicating so far is through pictures."

Gaara looks at her drawings with hidden interest. What resembles a cat and a dog appeared in the sand, and a creature with multiple tails and long ears emerged immediately afterwards. Two stick figures, followed by a strange loop with a dot were drawn carefully with the branch. The girl seems to be in a trance-like state, and is totally engrossed with making sketches.

"Let's go." Gaara turns briskly and starts on the way home. Kankuro begins to follow him, but then notices that Neko was still kneeling on the ground. Temari is trying, but to no avail, to get the girl to drop the branch. What followed was a tiny tug-of-war, with Temari struggling to pull the stick away from the unrelenting grip of the ten-year-old. Kankuro watches on, laughing silently at Temari's unsuccessful efforts. She gave up after a while, and let the girl carry the stick back home with her.

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That night, Gaara felt an unexplainable urge to stay outside. He opens his window and with great agility, jumps onto the roof of the house. With no destination in his mind, he scans the nearby rooftops.

His eyes caught a sudden movement. A shadowy figure jumps from one roof to another, and then disappears from sight. Gaara tensed.

No one in their right mind would leave their homes at this time of night, so the only plausible explanation in his mind is that of an intruder. He decides without hesitation to give chase, and leaps off of the roof. Traveling by sand is too conspicuous, so he has to follow by foot.

To his surprise, the shadow led him to the training grounds. As he approached a huddled figure, Gaara halts in mild surprise.

A familar figure sat alone in the pale moonlight. Her jet black hair hid her face from view, but he could tell it is her because of the familar necklace, glittering brightly despite the darkness. The girl, oblivious to his presence, is kneeling on the ground as she was before, and starts drawing once more. He walks slowly towards her.

"What are you doing here?"

She stops, and turns her head with a guilty expression. Her soft smile disarmed him for a moment, but he quickly returns with a disapproving glare. Without another word, she returns to her sketches, leaving Gaara with an indignant feeling that he's being dismissed. His green gaze wanders towards her child-like pictures. The childlike scrawlings ran amuck for a few feet in each direction. What he saw gave him a deep feeling of apprehension.

There are mutilated stick figures, with limbs bent askew and at odd angles. Terrifying monsters blown up to huge proportions are apparently responsible for the chaos. Yet, admist the pandemonium, a sole stick figure stands in defiance. With what he surmised as a powerful jutsu, the monsters are sealed away in inanimate objects. Ten figures in cloaks appeared afterwards, surrounded by clouds.  
Gaara's stare travels further down, to the most recent drawing. It was of a cat, or at least what he thought was a cat. But instead of the usual one, this feline creature has two tails. Around it's neck is a rope, held like a leash by one of the stick figures of the ten. The poor creature seems to be straining against it's leash and reaching for something. It is here that she stopped drawing, unsure of what happens next.

"Let's go back," Gaara comands gruffly, unnerved by her drawings.

She looks up at him, her azure eyes begging him wordlessly to let her continue. The red head sighs, not really caring, but really curious to see the resolution of her story.

Neko goes back to her drawings, branch posing precariously over the last untouched stretch of sand. She slowly draws a small stick figure, and points to herself. After she made sure he understands that it represents herself, she continues to draw a circle, a bird, and then a four-pointed star with four surrounding dots. With a final flourish, she gives her stick-figure self a smile as she draws lines connecting the three symbols to it.

Themale shinobi is a bit puzzled to say the least. He reasons that the circle represents a toy ball, the bird a past pet, but the last picture's meaning escapes him, butis disturbingly familar. He hears Shukaku's snicker in the back of his head.

_**You can't even understand a simple drawing like that? You're a pathetic shinobi…**_

Gaara brushes away the comment. He doesn't like the faint recognition that stirs within his consciousness as he looks upon her pictures. He turns away sharply, not looking back to see if the girl would follow him or not.

Her hand shoots out and grabs his wrist. Gaara flinches at the unfamiliar contact.

The monster inside of him screams in outrage. Automatically, the surrounding sand around him rose up and rushes at the girl.

But just like before, the grains of sand stops short of attacking, and falls uselessly to the ground. Gaara isn't really surprised this time, but it just prompts him more to find out why.

"How can you do that?" he asks in a low tone, one that demands the truth.

Her blue gaze is steady and calm, as her free hand slowly goes up and grasps her locket. Her other hand is still holding on to his wrist.

_So it's that pendant she constantly wears…_ he muses. More questions sprang up in his mind, but it seems that those would have to wait. Gaara is disturbed slightly at the lack of warmth in her hand. She must have been outside for too long, he reasons to himself.

"We should get back before you catch a cold," he states calmly. Neko nods and loosens her grip. However, she does not completely let go, and Gaara finds his right hand imprisoned by her smaller one. She looks at him expectantly. He stares back blankly.

The two just stood there for a few minutes, neither of them making a move.

Gaara is at the last of his patience, until he suddenly remembers an incident that occurred a week ago.

--------------

_He was meditating by himself in his usual spot right above his own room. The sound of laughter stirred him out of his reverie and he opened his eyes._

_Temari, along with the girl, walked hand in hand towards the house. The laughter came from the blonde ninja, a sound that Gaara rarely heard before. His older sister never laughed openly like this in his presence. Never._

_And the sight of the two connected by their hands, sent a flood of intense emotion through the stoic shinobi. So powerful that he had to clutch the area right above his heart, gasping for breath. The episode ended quickly as the two entered the house and out of his sight._

_When he asked Temari later on why she was holding hands with the girl, she just shrugged casually and said, "So I won't lose her in the crowds."_

_He must have felt jealous back then. He was envious that the girl, who have only been in the household for a few days, had already grown so close to his own siblings. She had accomplished something that he did not come close to in the twelve years that he was alive._

_His sister did not want to lose her. She was wanted._

_He was not._

----------------

Gaara blinks, eyes refocusing on the small hand that is still grasping his.

She's accustomed to holding hands with another person when walking outside, he realizes. She's probably waiting for me to guide her home.

However, Gaara isn't one to initiate such a gesture, and the only thing he could bring himself to do is to hold her hand awkwardly. The girl must have sensed his reluctance. Without hesitation, she takes the first step forward, and looking back, she smiles at him encouragingly. Gaara watches in amazement as she starts to slowly lead him towards the path home.

A rueful thought enters his mind.

_So… the one that was lost isn't her._

_I was._

* * *

Some thoughts: Eh? So how was that? Confusing? I would hope so! It would ruin my whole story if you knew exactly what I'm talking about...  
O yea... and her name is finally revealed! I'm sure there's a more creative and original name than 'cat' in japanese.. but I'm on a time budget here! There is a REASON for her name.. which will be revealed in due time ... more like 10 more chapters later... sigh. (But ppl probably all figured it out anyways...)  
And I recently saw a fanfic with a girl called Neko... and I'm sure there's many others out there. I'm not copying their ideas! I've been writing this fic long before I posted them (even though I have no proof). It's too late for me to change the name since it fits perfectly with my story, and anything else would be TOO complicated for the 10-yr-old to draw... lol 

But rit now.. I guess my biggest fear is for my character to be accused of being a Mary Sue. Yea.. she got a real tragic past, she seemed really special with her necklace and anit-Gaara powers (lol), but she's just a girl! Her past is going to be really important to plot, so yea it has to be a little bit out there, but she will have flaws, she will have insecurities, and she will make MISTAKES! breathes more easily

Next chapter preview:

_"You know… she's been asking about you." Gaara stills at her statement. Seeing a reaction, she continues, " Neko's wondering why she hasn't seen you in days. Are you purposely avoiding her?"_


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Naruto characters do not belong to me... but Neko is my original character... like that makes a difference, XD. And I can't help but cringe everytime I write her name... the fluffiness... argh.

* * *

**  
Adaptation**

The girl is learning fast. By the end of the month, she has already mastered basic writing skills and can clearly voice her thoughts through the written word. She also gained some weight, her cheeks filling out and giving her face a cute roundness that always prompts Temari to gush over her. Even Kankuro has to admit that Neko's smiling face lit up a room whenever she walked in.

Or at least that's what he heard from their conversations.

Gaara did not see much of her after that night. He established a strict schedule for himself. He didn't come back to the house until late into the night, and left before the sun came up. There were even times when he didn't show up for days on end.

He immersed himself in training and missions, hoping that the answer he seeks will reveal itself if he becomes stronger. He is certain that his older siblings do not know of the girl's abilities, and he wants it to stay that way. He would be at a complete disadvantage if word gets out that there's a person who can deflect his sand so effortlessly. Until he can find a way to counteract the pendant's power, avoiding her would be the best course of action.

And so two weeks passed like that. Apparently, Temari got concerned over his sudden change in behavior, and confronted him one day after their training session.

"Why are you avoiding the house? It's because of her isn't it?"

The red head scoffs at the suggestion, and turns away. Frustrated, Temariblurts outthe first thing that popped in her head.

"You know… she's been asking about you." Gaara stills at her statement. Seeing a reaction, she continues, " Neko's wondering why she hasn't seen you in days. Are you purposely avoiding her?"

Gaara flinches slightly. It looks like his secret might leak out sooner than he expected.

"I've been busy. Doing research." Was his non-committed reply. After a pause, he adds, "We need to assess the girl's abilities to see if she qualifies for the Academy. Baki-sensei's orders. I'll be waiting out in the desert." Without another word, Gaarastalksoff in the direction of the outer gates.

As he passes the villagers, he emanated such a dangerous aura that the citizens of Suna gave him a ten foot radius as he walked past. Gaara noticed this, and grimances internally.

He really is not wanted here.

His mood worsened by the time he reached the village's outer gates. He uses sand to transport himself over the tall walls of stone with ease, and only steps back onto the ground when he is not able to see the village.

With heavy anticipation, he begins to release sand from the gourd on strapped onto his back. He needs to destroy something.

Gaara gestures with his hands, and ten tall pillars of sand rise from the ground. He made sure that those pillars were extremely dense and strongly fortified. His hands begins to form a complicated jutsu, and the sand from his gourd shoots out like lightning, completely obliterating the columns of sand. Still not feeling satisfied, the red head turns towards some nearby boulders, and commands the sand to destroy them. As the rocks disengrated under the angry claws of sand, his anger starts to abate.

He recalls Baki-sensei's words from earlier.

_-------------_

_The older sand-nin approached him before the training session and said, "I heard that you are housing a girl. Who is she?"_

"_She was abandoned by her caretakers and was wandering out in the desert. I found her and took her to the clinic. Letting her live with us was Temari's idea," Gaara tonelessly replied. _

"_You should be more careful, Gaara. Someone who does not have identification can be a security issue for the village."_

_The young shinobi scoffed._

"_A slight waif like her cannot be that much of a threat to Sungakure."_

"_Nevertheless, the Council has disapproved of your actions and are now debating whether to quarantine her. They'll probably want to assess her abilities too."_

_So that they can see if they can use her, Gaara savagely thought. Just like those bastards who abused her. _

He composed himself quickly and in a surpisingly calm voice said, "I doubt Temari would approve of that. Besides, we can easily assess her ourselves."

_If Baki-sensei was surprised at Gaara's comment, he didn't show it. The older jounin simple nodded his head in understanding, and left._

_--------------_

Gaara heard them before he saw them. Kankuro's complaining voice is recognizable anywhere. His pale viridan eyes observe the three figures thoughfully.

Draped in his usual black, Kankuro is muttering under his breath as they approached. Karasu is faithfully attached to his back, and the male's face is marked with his kabuki face paint. Temari is wearing her training uniform, and her fan is strapped comfortably on her shoulder. Latching onto her right arm is the girl.

Gaara has to admit that she looks healthier than when he first found her. Her cheeks are playfully round, and slight dimples are visible whenever she smiled. Her black hair is cut to chin length,revealing her slim neck and shoulders. On her neck, the mysterious silver locket hangs loyally from a light chain. Sheisclothed ina simple training outfit of cheap material, probably bartered off a street vendor. He is surpised that Temari even found a uniform her size; the girl has an impossibly small stature.

However, as the trio got nearer, Gaara finds himself struggling to meet those intelligent blue eyes of hers. Her childlike expression always manages to unnerve him. The world is unbearably cruel to her, but she is still able to maintain an obsurdly cheerful exterior.

It is so infuriating.

Even though they both suffered in the short span of time they've spent living, Gaara will forever retain his anger at the world. He does not remember the last time his face formed a genuine smile, nor a time when he laughed freely.

They are not the same.

-------------

Neko sees his imposing figure cut into the glaring rays of the setting sun. His face looks even more drawn, and the dark circles around his eyes seem to be growing.

The only thing that does not speak of his fatigue are his green eyes, which are alert and observant as his gaze sweeps over her.

Neko thinks of him as a friend, one whom she owes her life to. So it hurt when she didn't see him for the past few days. She thought it was her fault, that she must have did something wrong that caused him to go away. Now that she finally saw him again, she is determined to set things straight. When she sees him standing there by himself, she had an unreasonable urge to make him stay.

Impulsively, she releases her hold on Temari's arm, and sprints towards him.

She did not see the warning in his eyes, nor hear the startled shouts of the older siblings, but doggedly ran towards the stationary male. Neko reached him just as sharp talons of sand shot out automatically to protect its owner.

The locket shimmers with light, and the grains of sand falls harmlessly at her feet. Collective gasps of shock are heard from Kankuro and Temari. Gaara closes his eyes in irritation.

The secret's out.

Neko, when she finally reached him, clutches the front of his shirt in one hand while looking up at him with a pleading expression. Even though Gaara's countenance reveales nothing, shecan feelhim recoil slightly. He unconsciously takes a step back, but she holds on.

He cannot meet her eyes.

Thankfully, Temari and Kankuro gave him the needed distraction so that he successfully avert his gaze somewhere else.

"What the hell was that?" the oldest sand sibling demands in a strained voice. Gaara does not answer.

"You were hiding this from the start weren't you?" Kankuro's face plainly displays his disgust.

Gaara sighs, and in a deadpan voice says, "I really did not see any reason for telling you two about her abilities. But now you know, she can deflect my sand. It seems to be because of that necklace she wears. I do not want news of this to reach The Council, because they will use her ruthlessly for their own cause. The less people who knows, the better."

Kankuro muttered a rude remark to himself, but drops the subject. There is no use arguing with Gaara after all.

Temari cautiously approaches Neko and tries to loose her grip on Gaara's shirt. It is nearly impossible to disengage the girl from the red head, and the young woman gives up with an exasperated gesture.

"Gaara, I think she wants you to come back living with us," the blonde ninja says quietly.

The silent boy weighed her words carefully over in his head.

Now that his siblings know about the girl's abilities, there is really no more reason to keep avoiding her. In fact, if he could observe her more often, there is a likelihood that he might find out more about her powers. When she ran towards him, Gaaraheard the Biju shriek with anger at the girl's impudence. Strangely enough, Gaara could alsodetect a hint of fear in the demon's voice. Shukaku's odd behavior only further prompts him to find out more about this mysterious child.

Unwillingly, Gaara's light green eyes drifts towards her beseeching face. Her rosy lips are parted in a silent request, and a pair of calm blueis givinghim a feeling of being wanted. It is not an unpleasant sensation.

He wants to ask her why she's acting like this. Why it's so important to her for him to return to the house. But with his older siblings present, he decides not to press the issue further.

"Fine," the taciturn shinobi murmures for her ears only, "I'll come back."

* * *

Notes: Yea... there's been no action scenes.. and plot movement is crawling around... but bear wit me. I need a way to gradually crack down Gaara's defense mechs while developing his relationship wit his siblings, so it's not gonna be easy. Plus I need to stay within the plotline of Naruto... and that Sasuke Retrieval Arc is coming up. I won't go into much detail wit that... but it's the debut of Temari x Shikamaru coupling and it won't be for another few chapters... dangit. If anyone's having probs wit my pace of writing... you should tell me in reviews... and maybe I'll look into that...but prolly not :). Sincere reviews do make my day! 

Next chapter:

_Neko covers her ears, hoping to shut out their biting comments. She shuts her eyes tightly, willing the group of bullies to leave._


	7. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Same old, same old...  
O yea... I got 1300 hits... nice...just for that, I shall make the chapter longer! lol... I actually just combined two short chapters together...

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**  
Mentor**

"Has Two Tails been found yet?"

"Yes, everything is going according to plan. She is currently situated in Sunagakure, living with the Sand Siblings."

"Perfect."

---------

Neko is learning how to cook. At first, she helped Temari set the table and carried the prepared food. However, the girl has an unnatural talent for dropping and breaking dishware, so her jobs turned into stirring and adding ingredients instead. She always helps Temari in making food, and after a few tries of her own, developed a brand new recipe.

She tried it one day when all three sand siblings were gathered for dinner. After the plates were cleared, she darted into the kitchen and pulled out a purple bowl filled with some unidentified substance.

"Oh yeah, Neko made the dessert today. So why don't we all try it?" Temari beamed proudly at the quiet girl.

Kankuro and Gaara peered at the brown and oozing mass inside the bowl and simultaneously grimaced. Temari, who seemed oblivious, spooned generously into their plates as well as her own.

Without further ado, she dropped a big spoonful of the 'dessert' into her mouth. Within seconds, her face turned a sickly green color, and with her hand covering her mouth, the oldest sibling sprinted in the direction of the bathroom.

Kankuro was about to dump his portion down the trash can, but Neko's insistent look stopped him. Her pleading eyes made rendered him helpless, and with a trembling hand, the older ninja shoved a spoonful down his own throat.

"Hey, it's not too ba-" Unfortunately, he wasn't able to finish his sentence as his stomach refused the unsavory offering, and the food began to come back up. Kankuro soon followed Temari's steps as he ran for the restroom.

Gaara watched his two older siblings' desperate scrambling and eyed the gooey substance on his plate with extreme suspicion. As Temari and Kankuro both left the table, Neko's face sank deeper and deeper into despair.

"What did you put in it?" he asked curiously.The girl promptly strolled inside the kitchen and came back out with an array of food stuffs. Gaara looked on in apprehension as he took in the ingredients.

_Milk, sugar, salt, gelatin, and… liver?_

"These are not the right ingredients to make a dessert with," he said caustically.

She replied with an apologetic look, and shuffled her feet awkwardly. The red head sighed and glanced down at his plate with deliberation. Slowly, he reached for a spoon and scooped a tiny amount from his platter. As Neko watched anxiously, Gaara cautiously sniffed the concoction and ate it.

------------

"Whew! I though I was a goner for sure! That stuff was probably poisonous…" Kankuro sighed with relief as he exited the bathroom.

"Man, I thought I taught her decently…" Temari muttered with disbelief as they both made their way back to the dining room.

"Well, I'm not surprised. If she learned how to cook from you, that's probably not the worst she could do- Ouch!" Kankuro shrank away as Temari's unforgiving hand cuffed him on the head.

"Shut up!" the blonde growled in anger, "Do you want to cook from now on?"

Kankuro was about to insult her back when the two walked into the dining area. Two mouths gaped in shock at the sight of their younger brother, who was slowly eating the discolored substance from his plate. Not too far away, Neko gazed at him with adoring eyes and an admiring expression.

"What the hell!" Kankuro looked like he was going to faint. Temari grinned smugly, and leaned against the wall to watch.

Gaara finished his portion without any expression. He set his spoon calmly on the table and proceeded up into his room.

"Wait, Gaara, what did you think of it?" Kankuro asked uneasily.

"It was fine," the stoic ninja replied, and shut the door. Kankuro shook his head in disbelief, and went into his own room to work on his puppets.

"Leave it to Gaara to have an iron stomach," Temari chuckled softly as she ruffled Neko's hair. She started clearing the dishes with the help of the silent girl.

"I think you need some more work on the desserts."

---------

"Give me the update on the others."

"Uchiha and Hoshigaki are on the trail of the fox."

"... that should be an interesting battle."

----------

The snickering of the surrounding students made her cringe. Neko looks up from her position on the dusty ground at the condescending faces that form an ominous circle around her.

"So why won't you talk? Think you're too good for us?" A tall, lanky boy sneers at her.

A chunky girl with a toothy grin kicks sand into Neko's eyes and says, "It's probably because she lives with the Sand Siblings. She's thinks she's all high and mighty cuz she's under their protection."

"But living with a monster isn't exactly safe is it?" A squeaky boy with boogers hanging from his nose pipes up.

Neko's hands covers her ears, hoping to shut out their biting comments. She shut her eyes tightly, willing the group of bullies to leave.

Ever since her enrollment in Suna's ninja Academy, a group of students have always followed her and made fun of her differences. They pick on her because she cannot say anything back. And Neko defnitely isn't one to start fights. So she did the only thing she could do: retreat into herself and block out their smarting words.

A deep voice made her open her eyes and glance up.

"Hey you three! Scram!"

The haggle of children scattered under the glare of the puppet ninja. His fierce-looking face paint coupled with his angry scowl almost made the squeaky boy pee in his pants. The three children ran away like puppies, yelping with fear and their tails between their legs

"Hey brat, you alright?" Kankuro inquires in a concerned voice as he kneels down besides her. She nods gratefully.

"Che, I didn't know kids these days could be so ruthless," he mutters as he helped her up. "Well anyways, I'm picking you up today since Temari had something to do. We'll stop by an old friend's place on the way back." He turns and starts strolling casually down the street. Neko obediently falls in step besides the taller male and smiles happily.

Kankuro glances down at her.

_Jeez, you can't even tell she was being picked on by the way she's acting now._

_-------------_

They came to a stop in front a quaint adobe building. Smoke trailed lazily up into the afternoon sky from a cleverly concealed chimmney. Kankuro pushes through a wooden door and calls out into the gloomy darkness within.

"Hey Chiyo-baa-sama! You there? I'm here to pick up some supplies!"

A few seconds passes in silence, and then Neko hears some clattering of pots and pans.

"Is it Kankuro? I'm busy mixing some ingredients. Come in and wait for a minute," answers a scratchy voice in the shadows. With a complaining grumble, Kankuro opens the door wider and ushers Neko into the darkened room.

Neko's eyes widens in awe at the spectacular view. From as far as she can see, shelves reaching as high as the ceiling housed various bottles and vials of any color imaginable. A dim lamp illuminates the cozy room, allowing her to discern a diminuitive figure stirring a smoking pot.

"What strange poison are you making this time, Chiyo baa-sama?" Kankuro askes curiously.

"Quit calling me that, boy. I'm not anyone's doting grandmother," the elderly woman retorts. The young ninja was about to continue their friendly banter when the loud shattering of glass made both of them jump.

Neko, with a guilty expression, stands frozen next to a pile of broken glass and spilled liquid. Her young face speaks of remorse, and her mouth lifts tentatively to smile an apology towards Chiyo.

"Well… what have we here?" the ancient woman chuckles, "I didn't think you were the type to pick up strays Kankuro."

"Well, Gaara is the one who found her, and Temari is the one who decided to take her in. I didn't really have a say in any of this. Her name's Neko, and she can't talk." Said with a casual shrug.

Chiyo quirks an eyebrow at this. Interested, she left her bubbling concoction and walks over to the quiet girl. With one hand, the elder raises her small face closer to the light, and wordlessly examines the child.

_How peculiar… I sense an incredible chakra surrounding her body, but Kankuro seems to be completely oblivious. This child is somehow able to hide her chakra from those who aren't specificially looking for it._

A flash of silver caught Chiyo's eye. She glances down at the girl's chest, where a strange locket dangles from a silver chain. The poison specialist tentatively reaches outfor the glimmering pendant .

Immediately, Neko turns away, one hand protectively clutching the tiny object. Her eyes narrows with suspicion, and for the first time, the elderly woman is able to catch a glimpse of her distinctive eye color.

"I see..." Chiyo murmurs, "you unfortunate child." She pats Neko's head softly, with a grim expression.

"Fate will not be kind to you. I can tell already that you'll face many hardships ahead." The elderly woman steps back and returns to her boiling pot.

"What do you mean Chiyo-baa-sama?" inquires Kankuro, who had been silent during the brief interaction.

"None of your business," she snaps back, "and your supply of poisons are on the left shelf, in a green bottle. Hurry up and leave this old hag alone."

The sand genin grumbles underneath his breath and after attaining what he came for, promptly heads out the door. Neko was about to follow him when Chiyo called out to her.

"You know, you're welcome here anytime...Neko." The girl glances back at the old woman, whose back is still turned. The dwarf-like figure continues stirring her concoction, silently dismissing her. With a nod, Neko pushes open the wooden door and steps out into the fading sunlight.

------------

"Man, I'm dead-tired!"

The kunoichi blew some stray bangs away from her face with her mouth. Temari plops herself on the plush couch located in the living room. Ever since the discovered murder of the Kazekage, The Council has been in a complete uproar. A suitable candidate for the position of Kazekage had to be immediately selected. And as one eldest of the deceased leader's children, Temari seems like the perfect choice.

With some insistence on Baki-sensei's part, Temari agreed to dedicate a few days to see what it was like to be the village leader. She had to spend the majority of the day in a meeting, sifting through papers and listening to the village's grim status quo. The only thing she learned from that experience was that she was not cut out for the position as Suna's leader. Period.

The eldest sand sibling allows her heavy eyelids to close, welcoming sleep.

"Where's dinner?" A cold voice snaps her senses awake. The youngest sibling stands over her, glaring with impatience.

"I totally forgot!" Temari rushes to her feet. Halfway to the kitchen, she freezes. She suddenly cursed colorfully, making Gaara look at her with a faint trace of amusement in his face.

"Dammit! I forgot to pick up Neko." The blonde ninja starts to head out of the house.

"Wait." Gaara walks in front of her and tells her quietly that he will get the girl. When he saw her hesitate, he explains that he does not want to starve and she better have some food ready by the time he gets back. He silenced her protests with one hand and slowly took his leave. Temari watches him walk away with a small, wistful grin.

_He is changing..._

--------------

Gaara stops in front of Chiyo's building, unsure of himself. This is one person he is not sure how to approach.

Chiyo is the one who sealed the biju in him, and he has mixed feelings about the old woman. And Chiyo herself never acted like the others. While most would tremble or stutter in fear in his presence, she refused to acknowledge his existence most of the time. She told some that she does not have a reason to fear him; he was her mistake from the past, and she was too old to worry about dying at the Jinchuriki's hands. In fact, it would be poetic justice.

Since the old poison-nin is not scared of him, he does not have any leverage over her. He doesn't want to appeal for her recognition, so he avoided any situations in which he has to converse with her. Unfortunately, it looks like this might not be one of them.

Gaara opens the main door slowly, not caring to announce his presence. As his eyes adjust to the darkness, he can make out the dusty shelves of bottles, a smoking pot in the back, and a huge book propped up by a stand to his left. Sitting quietly on a stool behind the stand is Neko, with her face absorbed in the yellowing pages of the thick tome. Her sapphire eyes dart back and forth, reading at an incredible rate. Every now and then, she would carefully turn a page, and the faint crinkling of paper is the only sound in the otherwise empty room. There is no sign of Chiyo.

The sand shinobi walks over, and peers over the girl's shoulders. The heavy volume seems to be consisted of mystical legends. Interested, Gaara scans a paragraph. He blinks, his mind refusing to believe what he's reading.

---------

Neko can feel the hairs on the back of her neck rise. Sticking her tongue out a bit, she tastes gritty sand.When she turned around, she saw two coal-rimmed eyes staring at her. Or maybe at ancient book that is sitting in front of her. She isn't too sure.

"We're leaving." His harsh tone is too loud in the silent room. Gaara walks briskly out of the house, not bothering to close the door.

After placing the bookmark ribbon on the page she was reading, and closing the heavy book with care, Neko quickly follows him. She doens't say anything to Chiyo, who is rummaging through the back room for ingredients. The old woman assured her that she could come and go as she pleases, with no need for any greetings and such formalities.

Neko shuts the wooden door carefully, and turns to gaze at Gaara. He stands silently, his short stature making a formidable shadow with the setting sun. Glancing up at his stoic features, she feels a sense of awe at the strength the lean figure is emanating.

She gently tugs at one of his arms that is crossed sternly over his chest. Neko ignores his threatening glare, and with some persistence, manages to free his hands. Like the other night, she firmly takes ahold of one of his hands, and proceeds to lead him back home.

**

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**

Note: Awwwwww... such fluffiness. O yea, the legend Neko was reading will be revealed in next chap, so don't fret. In case anyone can't tell, I'm just stalling the real plot line and just developing the characters. I'm not sure how far the Retrieval arc is, timewise, so I'm gonna assume a month at the most. I don't have much time, cuz I wasted 2-3 weeks already. Sigh...man I wanna start on Temari/Shikamaru... lol. Poor Kankuro, I think he'll be single for life.

Summer's finally here! More time to write... I guess... I dunno actually, my schedule's pretty tight during summer, but I'll prolly be able to chug out a chap every week or so. Posting them will be another matter... lol.

Next Chapter Preview:

_"What a cute little girl," a brute-faced man says with slurred words. Nearby, there is a group of equally intimidating-looking men leering at her.  
"Wanna play with us?" _


	8. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Naruto characters are not mine.

_

* * *

_

**Departure**

_Many, many years ago, there existed five great countries: Earth, Wind, Water, Lightning, and Fire. They coexisted peacefully for a time, but eventually greed led their respective leaders to seek ways to conquer each other. They all started training elite soldiers whose specialty was to perform covert operaions. Silent as death, and shrouded within the shadows, t__hose warriors were called ninjas. However, relying solely on manpower was just not effective, and over time, all the countries' resources were vastly depleted. _

_With options diminishing with each passing week, the leaders were forced to take drastic measures. Each nation tried unleashing the famed tailed beasts of power, whom were sealed in their respective shrines, in hopes that they can use the bijus to quickly end the power struggle. However, once released, the nine beasts became uncontrollable, and thus the Biju War began._

_Each of the nine beasts fought each other for supremacy and the title of the strongest. Forests were trampled, mountains were flattened, and villages were obliterated in a short span of hours. The people of the land could not do anything but hope that the bijus will destroy each other in the process, or that a victor will be chosen soon. As the war progressed, four bijus seemed to be closer than the other five in achieving victory. Those four were the Two-Tailed Nekomata, Five-Tailed Houkou, Eight Tailed Yamata no Orochi, and Nine-Tailed Kyuubi._

_In a desperate effort, the cat demon Nekomata along with the dog demon Honkou joined forces in hopes of defeating Nine-tails, whom was gaining an advantage over everyone else. Their attempt resulted in a disastrous failure. Five Tails was injured so badly that he was forced to flee to some distant islands, rumored to contain a mystical tree, where he slowly recovered. As for Nekomata, she struggled with her last breath to return to her origins, a temple in the Forest of Death. There, her master, the Great Shinigami, sealed her spirit inside a shrine in order to keep her essence alive._

_With some of the competition eliminated, Eight Tails went after Nine Tails in a final showdown. Thus commenced days of fighting, and after the dust cleared the Kyuubi was declared the king of all bijus after_ _destroying Yamata no Orochi 's_ _ultimate weapon, the legendary sword of Kusanagi no Tsurugi_ _. This concludes the Biju Wars._

_-Legends of the Lands from Chiyo's Private Collection_

_-----------_

"Neko? Can you go to the market place and pick up some green onions for me?" Temari's voice drifts from the kitchen.

Neko scrambles up from her sleeping spot on the couch. She walks in on Temari, who is busy chopping some tofu.

"Take some money from that jar over there, and there's also a grocery bag by the door. Hurry on back okay?"

Neko nods, glad to be of some help. She picks up the tote bag along with some crinkled bills, and runs off.

----------

He is breathing hard. Training with Baki-sensei is always strenuous. True, he never received a scratch, but the amount of chakra the advanced jutsus consumes is exhausting.

"You left your guard down."

Gaara whips around. A kunai heads straight for his head. Too late, he realizes, as the sand from his gourd rushes out of its container and deflects the projectile.

_Damn it. I wasn't supposed to rely on my shield_.

"You did well, Gaara. Let's call it a day," the tall jounin emerges from his hiding place. Baki picks up his weapon from the ground, and with a nod at Gaara, disappears in a cloud of smoke, leaving the short red head by himself in the training area.

Gaara clenches his teeth in frustration.

_Just when will I become strong enough?_

----------

The shadows are growing longer as she finally made her way back. There was a long line at the vegetable stand, and she had barely made it in time. With her precious package clutched to her chest, Neko starts running back.

A foot suddenly appears in front of her path and trips her. The bag with its contents falls to the ground, and a large male walks over and crushes the stalks of vegetables underfoot.

"What a cute little girl," a brute-faced man says with slurred words. Nearby, there is a group of equally intimidating-looking men leering at her.

"Wanna play with us?" The men makes a circle around her, blocking off any escape routes.

Her eyes flashing with anger at the destroyed vegetables, she quickly gets up. With a determined stance, Neko launches herself at the drunken men.

-----------

Gaara was heading back to the house when he heard sounds of fighting. He jumps on a nearby rooftop and continues on his way, not wanting to get involved. As he nears the group of ruffians, he can see them gathered around a short, dark-haired figure.

As he gets closer, Shukaku starts giggling.

_**That wretch has gotten herself into some mess, ne?** _

Gaara swears. Stupid girl. Why is she by herself in the first place?

It doesn't really concern him. Not really.

But nevertheless, he stops in his tracks, and turns around to watch the struggle.

He had seen her spend all those hours training. She doesn't have natural ability like some other kids. She is adequate in the areas of agility and strength, but she does not exhibit any special talents.

Unless it is to break dishes, which the girl does with an unmatched fervor. Or the extraordinary stealth she displays whenever there was the rare dish of seafood on the dinner table. If anyone blinked, it would be gone.

Her tireless efforts are admirable, he'll give her that. But it is still not enough, at least not against the humongous thugs that surrounds her.

Within his mind, Gaara can see the outcome before it happened. She might avoid some of their punches and grabs, but one by one, they'll overpower her eventually. Her limbs would be immobilized, and one of them will snap her frail neck single-handedly. Or even worse, they'll slam her to the floor, and force themselves on her young body and...

**No! **

---------

A broad fist slams into the side of her face. Neko flies sideways, her face burning with pain. She waits for the inevitable impact with the hard ground.

Instead, she lands on a warm cushion. Or what seems to be like one. Neko glances down. Her body is lying on top of a soft bed of sand. Realization hits, and she turns her face upwards.

Dark marine sees pale green in a split second before the world turned black. Neko reaches out with her hands, only to be met with unyielding sand.

---------

Gaara turns towards the band of drunks contemptuously. With Neko encased within his sand shield, he could afflict as much damage as he wants. And there is hell to pay.

"There is nothing more despicable than those who abuse their power. This village has no need for the likes of you." As he spoke, Gaara raised both of his hands in front, with palms facing outwards.

"Desert coffin!"

----------

The girl slams both fists on the hard sand uselessly. Her knuckles are bruised and bleeding, but she didn't care. For several minutes now, agonizing screams could be heard from the outside. She knows it is partially her fault, and she needs to stop him before it's too late. She saw from his training sessions just what he is capable of.

Suddenly, the yelling stops. Within seconds, sunlight streams in as the sand around her falls to the ground.

Neko flinches at the sight before her.

Bleeding bodies are lying haphazardly on the empty street. Their unmoving bodies were broken and mutilated beyond recognition. The sand on the ground is stained with a lurid scarlet.

The girl covers her face with despair. Their deaths hurt her. It really hurts.

Soft footsteps alerts her to his presence. She couldn't hide her own pained expression as she looks up at his uncompromising face.

"That was stupid. Don't do that again." A terse lecture. A dismissing glance. That is all he spares her.

Gaara turns around and begins to head back.

She grabs the end of his sash desperately. She made sure she had his attention, and quickly begins to write on the ground with a finger.

**Why did you kill those men?**

Gaara looks at her incredulously. _Is she an idiot?_

Glancing up at his stern face with comprehension, she proceeds to write: **You didn't need to kill them. Why did you do it?**

"For my own satisfaction," he replies icily. With a sharp tug, he frees himself from her grasp. He starts to continue back, but stops as she suddenly blocked his path with two arms outstretched.

Neko's blue eyes are narrowed in evident resentment, and her whole body trembles with rage. Gaara scoffs in irritation.  
She points at the bodies, and makes motions resembling of those of a burial process.

"No." He answers her request coldly, "They do not deserve a funeral. Just look at how they acted towards you. They're no better than trash."

The small girl gives him the most withering look he had ever seen. Without a backwards glance, Neko runs back towards the direction of home, and leaves Gaara standing by himself in the blood-spattered road with a feeling of empty satisfaction.

-----------

"How goes the Uchiha and Hoshigaki pair?"

"Thery were stopped by Jiraya and were forced to retreat."

"Beaten by the perverted toad? How disappointing. We will wait then, for another opportunity."

"What about One-Tails?"

"That will have to wait. We will take our time with that one."

-------------

"I got a favor to ask Chiyo-baa-sama," the male ninja calls out as he steps into the smoking room.

"What the hell is with the smoke? Did you burn something again?" Waving his hands to allow himself some visiblity, Kankuro peers around cautiously.

"Che, what do you want now?" the diminutive female materializes in front of him, coughing from the thick fumes.

"Well, we just got an urgent message from Konoha, requesting backup for a mission. We're to leave immediately, so Temari wants me to ask if Neko can stay with you until we return." At the mention of her name, the ever-silent girl emerges from her spot behind Kankuro and stands in front of Chiyo. The old crone glares at Kankuro and demands, "For how long?"

"Um… I'm not too sure about that. But for any food and rent costs you can take it out of her account," he reassures.

He feels somewhat guilty about laying the bill on Temari, but he never really saved money. He had always invested his earnings from missions in maintenance and new upgrades for his puppets. He even have to borrow cash for his face paint.

The elder made a 'humph' sound and turns around, muttering underneath her breath.

"Well, she didn't say no, so I guess that's a yes." Kankuro kneels down and ruffles Neko's hair. "Be a good girl and take care of yourself, ok?"

Neko nods obediently and smiles, obviously happy to have more opportunities to rummage through Chiyo's collections. She watches as Kankuro walks out of sight in the direction of the outer gates, and then closes the door quietly. Her forced smile vanishes as soon as the lock clicks in place, and she drops silently on the cold floor. Neko grips her knees with her skinny arms, shrinking into a small, lonely ball.

She knows they are leaving on an important mission. Temari had a strained smile when she hugged her good-bye, and Kankuro looked fidgety when they were walking to Chiyo's place.

And Gaara...well, she haven't seen him ever since that incident near the marketplace. It isn't like she will miss him. After all, she is still mad at him for what happened that day.

But still, her hand goes up slowly to grasp her locket reassuringly as she makes a wish on their safe return.

-----------

"Are you ready?" Temari asks as Kankuro reached the gates.

Temari is sporting a pastel purple tunic, a dark navy skirt that barely reachs her knees, and a white chest protector secured with a scarlet sash, tied in the back with a butterfly bow. She holds her closed fan in one hand, propped up against the ground as she taps her foot impatiently. Kankuro examines her outfit with amusement.

_Huh… she looks dressed to kill. In more ways than one. _

"Yeah. Where's Gaara?" He is wearing his usual black hoodie, with the circle filled with half yellow and half red emblazoned on the front. Purple face paint contrasts with the harsh sunlight, the coarse lines giving him an intimidating look.

Kankuro has an extra puppet that he had been working diligently on. He had tried it out many times in practice, but this is the first time it will be used in a real fight. He grins in anticipation.

"Late as usual…" the blonde genin drawls as the youngest sibling materialized in a swirl of sand.

Gaara is clothed with a maroon-colored garb that has long sleeves and a buttoned high collar. His gourd of sand is slung across his back via a belt of leather. The Suna headband is tied around the thick strap that crosses his left shoulder to his waist. He also has a full body mesh apparel underneath, which he personally thought was unnecessary, but Temari insisted. She urged him to take extra precautions, and her concerned tone compelled him to obey.

The short red head wordlessly acknowledges them with a nod, and proceeds to lead the way out of Sunagakure.

* * *

Notes: Regarding the legend: It is loosely based on something posted on Naruto Forums, and yea... there's more than 5 countries, but those five are the most powerful ones, and the others probably branched off from those original five. The legend isn't really 100 accurate, but I try my best. 

On another note...Retrieval Arc! Finally! Yeah.. I know some people were really looking forward to Shikamaru, and now I have to do more research on his character... lol. Am I the only one who thought Temari looked more girly when she rescued him? Come on, a red bow! Also, I find myself having writer's block when it comes to this couple, and I was so looking forward to writing them too! I can't really think of some clever dialogue, and now I'm going to do more research... sigh...

In case some people are confused, Gaara and Neko just had their first fight...lol. And basically he had to leave b/c of the message right away before he could apologize. As if he was going to anyways, psh! And that late as usual quote... that's a reference from the 2nd Naruto movie, and there will be one more ref. from that movie in the far off future... betcha can't guess wut! Well, that's it for writing Chiyo for awhile, but dammit, I love writing her, it's so freaking easy to think of her attitude and words.

Ah... I wonder if anyone wants to see more Naruto characters, in the upcoming chapters, let's take a vote!  
Here's the choices that I can incorporate without totally sidetracking story:  
a) Ino  
b) Tsunade  
d) Kiba  
d) Rock Lee

And of course... the next chapter preview!

_Heavy perspiration drips over his face. His body is covered in bruises and his chakra is almost gone. Furthermore, the shadow jutsu is slowly losing its hold over the Sound ninja. The newly-appointed chunin grits his teeth in concentration, willing his jutsu to sustain a bit longer._


	9. Chapter 8

Spoiler Warning: Basically... whole Sasuke Retrieval Arc for the next few chapters.

Disclaimer: Do not own, so do not sue. :)

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**The Rescue**

For three days straight, they've been traveling, only stopping for food and to relieve themselves. They reached the border between Wind and Fire on the second day, and then took the shortest route towards the country of Sound. The sun was high up in the blue sky, but within the tree tops of the Fire nation, the sunlight hardly touched the three siblings as they leapt from tree to tree.

Without any warning, Gaara suddenly stops on a sturdy branch. Only a few paces behind him, Temari and Kankuro land on either side of him without a question. An Anbu nin shortly appears before them.

"Identify yourselves," the masked ninja demands.

"We're shinobi of Sunagakure. We've come on orders of the Hokage," Temari flashes the message sent to The Council by messenger bird. The Anbu nods curtly and points in a north-east direction.

"Team Shikamaru was last seen headed in that direction. Please hurry."

The three siblings nods in acknowledgement and departs without further ado.

Within the hour, they neared a battleground. A significant chakra presence emanates from a clearing within the forest. Since Kankuro is complaining about how heavy his two puppets are, Temari and Gaara left him to handle things there and went on ahead.

-----------

Neko flips through the book listlessly. It has only been a three days, but her mind wanders aimlessly whenever she attempts to read. What used to hold her rapt attention for hours now does not interest her in the least.

_It's because I'm worried about them._

-----------

When they reached another area where potent chakra residue is distinguishable, the two siblings halted.

"I sense a greater chakra flow further ahead," Gaara murmurs aloud.

"Alright, then I'll handle this one," Temari grins with anticipation.

_Team Shikamaru eh? So that quitter has been promoted to a chunin. This should be interesting…_

Her grin got wider at the thought of a possible payback at a certain Konoha shinobi. The younger sibling glances over at her with an inscrutable expression.

"Temari," She turns to look at him with a questioning gaze.

"Don't over do it." Without any explanation, Gaara turned and departs.

Temari follows him with her eyes until his small figure disappears through the foliage.

_Is he… worried?_

_-------------_

"Don't laugh when you're about to die!" The Sound ninja called Ukon snarls as he launched himself at the boy clutching his dog to his chest.

Kiba chuckles mirthlessly. Even when he's facing death, he can't help but disregard orders. No one can tame this Inuzuka.

As the kunai rushes towards his vital point, he closes his eyes, content to die laughing.

Thunk.

_Huh? That doesn't sound right..._

"What the?"

Kiba peeks with one eye, and is shocked to see a cloaked person shielding him. Or what seems like a person. His canine-like nose did not detect a trace of a human scent. Upon closer inspection, he realizes that it is actually a wooden puppet.

_A puppet… No way…_

His highly sensitive nostrils picked up a foreign smell. The smell of the dry desert.

The Konoha shinobi followed the faint shimmering lines of chakra attached to the puppet with his eyes to its owner. With a grin that shows his sharp canines, Kiba calls out, "Looks like you guys are on our side this time."

Kankuro, with his one hand manipulating Karasu, and the other on the precious baggage strapped onto his back, ignores him and instead concentrates his attention on the silver-haired punk in front of him. In a lightning quick movement, his right arm jerks forward, and his puppet flies swiftly toward the enemy.

Ukon, caught by surprise, barely avoids being hit. He retreats a couple of yards away, taking a few moments to reassess the situation.

"Didn't the three of you guys travel together?" Kiba inquires, noting the absence of Kankuro's usual companions.

"The other two went on ahead," Kankuro replies evenly, not wanting to disclose the fact that he had trouble keeping up. Wooden puppets are not light weights after all.

"You guys are weak," the puppeteer taunts. He needs something to bolster his ego after being reminded about how out of shape he is.

"You idiot. These guys aren't pushovers," Kiba growls in return.

_Guys? So there's more than one?_

Kankuro smirks. He will get a chance to test out his new puppetafter all.

Kiba sniffs the air experimentally. An all too familiar, pungent scent assaulted his nostrils.

"Behind you!" The Inuzuka shouted the warning too late. Kankuro turns his head, only to be struck by the other twin, Sakon, full force in the face. Claws consisting of a stone hard substance clutch the sand shinobi's head in a death grip.

Kiba grimaces as he struggled to move. His exhausted body will not cooperate even though his mind is screaming commands.

_I can't move… I can't help him._

"Just what are these guys?" Kankuro mutters as he struggles to loosen himself from the Sound ninja.

"I'll leave him to you, Sakon. Kill him!" Ukon yells with a triumphant grin.

"Be careful! He'll enter your body and fuse with you!" Kiba cries out as he recalled his earlier fight.

"Too late," the monstrous ogre smugly replies. Sakon begins to grasp the young ninja's head tighter. He starts to initiate his special technique. However, a few seconds passed without any effects. The Sound-nin frowns, and his eyes widens when he realizes the truth. Painted purple lips lifted in a terrifying grin.

"What's wrong, Sakon?" His twin brother demands.

Kiba leans forward and sees a black spider web of cracks on Kankuro's cheek. As the Sound ninja applies more pressure with his hand, the cracks widen and slowly, the puppeteer's cheek begins to dissolve. All three surrounding ninjas watch in disbelief as the purple paint and skin turned into grains of sand piling at their feet.

"Whatever your technique is, it looks like it doesn't work on a puppet." Kankuro's haughty voice reaches them through the bandages of the mummified body strapped onto the back of the fake Kankuro. As the bandages unwound themselves, the real puppeteer leaps out with both hands emitting chakra strings.

"Just to let you know, Suna's ninjas are not as merciful as Konoha's."

Sakon glances down at what he is holding, still not fully comprehending the situation. The puppet's arms shoots out, grabbing a hold of his right arm tightly, successfully immobilizing him.

"Besides, if you get so close to Kuro Ari so carelessly," Kankuro's fingers moves with pinpoint accuracy as he talked, "it's not going to be good." The puppet's many arms opened to reveal rows of sharp, jagged blades. Sakon watches helplessly as the blades rush towards his unguarded body at the same time Kankuro clenches both hands into fists. The sand shinobi grins at the sound of metal tearing flesh.

_He was terrifying when he was an enemy, but now that he's an ally, he seems very reliable_, Kiba thinks to himself.

Kuro Ari's arms releases the Sound ninja with a creak. Sakon's unresponsive body drops to the ground with a heavy thud. His face glows a lurid scarlet as the curse seal lost its power and his body returns to normal.

Ukon curses under his breath as the puppet swoops over to attack him. He dodges swiftly and runs over to where his brother has fallen. With a blink of the eye, he transforms himself into an identical replica of the form Sakon had taken, and touches his twin with his blackened claw.

"It hurts! I let my guard down," his brother complains as their bodies fused together. "Let me rest in your body for a bit," Sakon asks, pretending to ignore his twin's "lazy bastard" comment.

"What's with these guys?" Kankuro demands in exasperation. Kiba indicates with a jerk of his head and a worried look, "That's their ability."

Kankuro shrugs casually. He could care less, since their techniques do not work on puppets, he actually has the advantage. His ears picks up fragments of the Sound brothers' conversation, and his face contorted in anger as he heard phrases like, "I can't believe you were fooled and defeated by that puppet so easily", "their speed and power aren't exactly impressive", and "won't beat me with that toy".

_So… you think my babies are just 'toys' huh? _

"How dare you underestimate me." Kiba looks up at the incensed shinobi with surprise, and a bit of apprehension.

"He's not someone you can defeat in an average fight! We should retreat for now…" The Inuzuka trailed off uselessly as a furious Kankuro glares at him.

_Great, now even the Konoha mutt thinks I'm weak…_

"There's no way I'm gonna back down after being underestimated like that!" With a shout, Kankuro flings his arms forward, and Karasu follows his master's movement obediently. Ukon, with his exceptional speed and agility, easily avoids the attack. The puppet's mechanical mouth opens, and several daggers shoot out with intense velocity. The ninja dodges those just as easily, jumping a few paces sideways and backwards.

"Don't take me so lightly," he mocks the Sand shinobi. Kankuro answers with a quick motion of his hand, and one of the puppet's hand turns into a flying projectile, its palm opening to reveal poisoned needles. The silver-haired male pushes off the ground, and somersaults a few more paces back. Kiba notices a wide grin on Kankuro's face, one that sealed the Sound-nin's fate.

Too late, Ukon realizes with the dread of a doomed man, as he backed up right into the open cavity of the awaiting Kuro Ari puppet. With a solid click, the puppet locked shut.

"Kuro Ari isn't an offensive type of puppet," Kankuro explains, "it's just used to capture the enemy. Since Karasu always attacks, these two make up a set."

"Damn it! Let me out!"

Kiba looks on in awe as Karasu disengages into individual parts, with its head and arms separating from the wooden body. With a flick of Kankuro's fingers, razor-sharp blades appear from each of Karasu's arms as well as from Karasu's head. They are suspended in midair as Kiba watches uneasily. Kankuro sneers. Making a bastard eat his words is always sweet.

"Take this! Black Secret Technique, One Strike."

With one smooth motion, the knives imbeds themselves in the allotted slits in Kuro Ari with a metallic click. Ukon's yelling suddenly stops, and deathly silence fills the forest clearing. Kiba watches with horror as crimson blood slowly seeps through the wooden cracks and drips onto the ground.

_He actually… killed him…_

Never has Kiba ever seen such unmerciful display of brutality. He knows that as a ninja, it's either kill or be killed, but this unnecessary bloodshed, the cruel manner in which the Sound-nin was killed, it sickens him. He tries his best to contain the bile that is building up at his throat, but the coppery smell of blood mixed with the stench of urine is overwhelming.

The Inuzuka recalls what occurred a couple of months ago at the chunin exams. Back then, he and his teammates were scared shitless by the ruthless Gaara, and his insatiable thirst for blood. Looking at display of grisly death scene in front of him, Kiba is reminded of the same nameless sensation of pure fear that immoblized him after seeing Gaara murder the three Rain shinobis.

"Show's over." The Sand shinobi grins ferociously. He glances over at the Konoha genin, and is surprised to see Kiba staring with a horrified expression at the macabre sight behind him. Kankuro snorts lightly.

_Feh, they really are weak. To tremble like that in front of death, it's pathetic. _

----------

_Shit… I'm at my limit_.

Heavy perspiration drips over his face. His body is covered in bruises and his chakra is almost gone. Furthermore, the shadow jutsu is slowly losing its hold over the Sound ninja. The newly-appointed chunin grits his teeth in concentration, willing his jutsu to sustain a bit longer.

"No use. You're finished!" The trash-talking ninja known as Tayuya growls in triumph as the last remaining shadows retreated, and she regains control over herself. With a roar, her demon-like hand, wielding a kunai, speeds towards the chunin's unguarded body.

Shikamaru finds himself staring at death, and silently prepares for the final blow.

It never came.

Instead, he felt a flurry of leaves slapping him on his face and watches with astonishment as his opponent was blown away. With the roaring of fierce gusts in his ears, he could only stare in shock. Shikamaru closes his eyes to check to see if he's dreaming, and when he opened them, he is greeted byan amazing sight. Bewilderment written plainly over his face, he takes in the over-sized fan, the Sunagakure headband, and that familar, domineering smirk with apprehension.

_That sand chick..._

_------------_

"Who are you?" the monstrous-looking female demands.

"An allied nation of Konoha," the Sand shinobi replies proudly. Temari doesn't bother to glance at behind her at the leaf ninja to know what his expression looks like: one of absolute shock. Besides, she is well-trained enough to know that one can never turn their back on their enemies.

No matter how tempting it is...

"I heard that Suna re-established its alliance with Konoha, but I didn't think you guys would be so quick to help out." His voice, although suspicious, holds a slight tinge of relief.

"We didn't invade your village because we wanted to. It was an order." She turns her head slightly to gauge his reaction, "And that is also the reason why I'm here."

Shikamaru almost smirked as he recalled the Hokage's earlier words.

_So old lady Tsunade did pull through. We're saved._

"By the way, has that clever brain of yours gone dull?" Temari smirks teasingly at the silent male. He replies with an indignant look.

"Are you going to give up again?" She faintly alludes to the exam. "If you do, I'll take her on."

Shikamaru shakes his head and in a bored voice said, "Sorry, but there's no way I can give up here. Besides, a man cannot be protected by a woman."

Temari scoffs loudly.

"There you go with that men and women crap. You act strong, but your empty bravado is so obvious, idiot." She lowered her fan, and walks a few paces in front. As always, she took center stage without even asking.

"She uses her flute notes to generate genjutsu." He warns.

The kunochi made an unimpressed noise. She grins to herself.

_Time to show him what a Sand shinobi is all about._

"Great Slicing Wind!" With a flick of her wrist, great gusts of wind rages towards the pink-haired ninja, slicing off branches and leaving leveled trees in its wake. Shikamaru looks on in silent awe.

_Damn, she's able to deflect the notes as well as causing physical damage to the enemy. Attacking and defending in one move. Unlike me, she has some good techniques._

-----------

With a growl of frustration, Tayuya jumps away to avoid the attack, and retreats further into the wood to plan her next move.

_Damn, that bitch's style of fighting can easily nullify my genjutsu._

After reviewing her options, the shinobi from Sound deemed it wiser to lay low for awhile, and use her flute when she is at a safer distance away from the crazy sand bitch.

------------

"She's hidden herself."

"Did she run away?"

"Nah."

"I just arrived. Brief me on her attacks and abilities." Temari orders without turning around. It is imperative at this moment to not lose her guard since she has just lost sight of the enemy. Both of them can still detect the powerful chakra presence.

_So demanding… I knew she was troublesome…_

Shikamaru gazes at her back with some consideration, and decided in doing the smart thing. He obeys.

"First off, she uses the notes on her flute to lure enemies into an illusion. Then she inflicts physical damage. She's the typical long distance, illusion technique-using type. Most likely, as soon as she saw your technique, she realized right away that her own techniques wouldn't work well against yours. Besides, it's now two against one. Until she actually draws both of us into a genjutsu, she won't show herself again. If I was to say, we're at a total disadvantage here. Sooner or later, we will be cornered. I suggest we fall back-"

"Who asked for your opinion?" Temari rudely interrupts. "I just asked for you to explain the situation."

His eyes widens at her bossy attitude, and he promptly shuts his mouth without complaint.

"Don't," Temari raises her right thumb to her mouth and bites open the skin, "underestimate my power." She draws her bleeding thumb across the span of her white fan with a flourish.

"With me up front, if she thinks she can feel safe just by hiding at a distance where she can still reach us using her flute, then she's too naïve!"

With a grunt of exertion, the blondekunochi lifts her weapon and yells, "Quick Beheading Dance!"

To the chunin's surprise, a weasel wielding a scythe materialized in a puff of smoke. At a single nod from Temari, it springs into action, ruthlessly cutting and lashing out at the surrounding trees. Within a couple of minutes, the forest is completely decimated in a one mile radius. Shikamaru's sharp eyes picks out the crushed body of the Sound-nin amongst the piles of tree trunks.

_There is no way she could have survived that._

Shikamaru feels a pang of regret at the loss of life. The passing of a soul is never a pleasant occurrence with him. Even if she is the enemy. He turns to look at Temari.

"What do you think?" She shuts her fan with a snap. "It's over."

_How forceful. She's scarier than my mom._

She finally turns fully towards him and grins cheekily. "How about that?"

_But it looks like I have to thank her this time_ Shikamaru thought. The corners of his mouth twitches into a rueful grin.

"To be able to perform a summoning jutsu, that takes a lot of training," he compliments lightly. Her smile got wider.

"Of course, idiot. Unlike you Konoha brats, we're not pampered or spoon fed anything."

"Still sore over the chunin exam?"

"Should I be? I don't recall losing…" Jade eyes sparkles with a teasing light.

Shikamaru sighs. They can go on like this for hours.

It is very troublesome. _She_ is very troublesome.

Still, a part of him enjoys the stimulating banter. Sharp wits are hard to come by in the Leaf village where people like Choji and Naruto are his only source of entertainment. If it wasn't for the fact that he has comrades to attend to, Shikamaru would have gladly indulge in their playful banter. But duty calls, and a Nara is always bound by duty.

"Sorry to cut this short, but I should be getting back to the village. I need to know the situation with my teammates," he briskly informs her. He is surprised to see a sheepish expression appear on her feminine features.

"You're right." She hastily dusts off some imaginary specks of dust from her skirt, shoulders her fan, and replies, "Lead the way."

* * *

Notes: Wow, 3000+ words per chap, it must be a record. Guess it made up for the longer wait I guess...  
I copied most of the dialogue and character thoughts verbatim from the anime fansub of dattebayo. Why? B/c it refreshes my memories and I can over-analyze on stuff. Sorry if it bores you. 

Well….. looks like the votes are in, and Kiba is the winner! Haha, and I actually think he would be the hardest to write, but alright, I welcome the challenge. Thanks to those ppl who gave their two cents; however, the image of Neko flirting is… hahaha… preposterous. Maybe those two will meet… but probably not until much later. As you can see, I have already started putting him in the story, and I'll see how it goes.

Bad news: I heard that the Nekomata in the actual Naruto manga is revealed... that definitely makes my job harder. I am pretty determined to make my story realistic and that means fitting in with the overall Naruto plot line. So... that just mean I have to wait until more info is released before writing some chapters. However, the next few chapters shouldn't be affected, and I probably already have it done already. It's just in proofreading, and I reread my work... over and over again.

Next chapter preview:

_"I am not drunk!" Rock Lee yells back, and mumbles to himself, "I'm just feeling a little tipsy…" Ignoring the world spinning around himself, Lee dashes toward the enemy. _


	10. Chapter 9

Spoiler Warning: Sasuke Retrieval Arc

Disclaimer: Just temporarily borrowing Naruto characters for my whims. Some dialogue taken from Dattebayo's anime fansub.

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_  
_

**  
A Debt**

Gaara watches with slight amazement as the limber shinobi dodges every single attack that the enemy threw at him. With erratic movements and a slurred speech, the drunken boy in the green jump suit once again missed being hit by the smallest margin of error. All of a sudden, the youth falls to the grass-covered ground, snoring as if asleep. When his white-haired attacker approaches, brandishing a knife that disturbingly resembles human bone, the green-clothed shinobi literally pops up and begins fighting once more.

The Sand shinobi supposes the enemy must be just as bewildered as he is at this bizarre style of fighting. Seeing the Leaf shinobi is gaining somewhat of an advantage, Gaara decides that he is content to standby and watch for the moment.

No need to get himself involved. He learned his lesson from the marketplace incident. Neko's look of absolute disgust still unsettled him. People had always looked at him with revulsion, so why should he care? But he did.

Is it because she actually treated him as a human being? And even so, why is she so furious about him killing those men? Because she believed that they could change their evil ways and miraculously transform into law-abiding citizens? Her naïve trust in others is absurd, and it will be her demise in the end. He is almost sure of it.

Gaara settles himself on a branch and looks on in contemplative silence

-----------

"If you're not coming, I'll come to you!" yells Rock Lee as he rushes at the Sound-nin. Halfway there, he trips on his own feet, and falls flat on his face. Kimimaro watches the whole process with slight shock on his usually calm features.

_His moves… are so unpredictable._

"Owie…" The boy mumbles. Yet in a blink of an eye, Lee jumps up and starts throwing rapid punches and kicks while screaming in a whiny voice, "It's all your fault!" The Sound-nin is forced to go on the defensive as the half-crazed green beast continues to throw one punch after another in an impossible pace.

"I…I am…" he mutters while throwing a backhand slap to Kimimaro's face, "enjoying my youth!" With a guttural shout, Lee launches another series of blows, which his opponent is barely able to block.

"I'm at the height of my youthful energy!" he shouts with joy. He drops on all fours, and then begins walking on his hands while kicking rigorously at his opponent.

Nearby, Gaara winces visibly at the outrageous show. He still cannot understand how this drunken state enhances the taijutsu user's ability. Even more, he cannot understand how one can make a bigger fool of himself. He wonders what Orchimaru's underling is thinking right now.

-----------

"I will now awaken you from your drunken stupor," Kimimaro calmly states. He is beginning to tire of this farce of a fight. Slowly, he shrugs off his gray gi, and activates his curse seal. Black crescent marks spread over his pale chest, while Gaara watches with faint interest.

"I am not drunk!" Rock Lee yells back, and mumbles to himself, "I'm just feeling a little tipsy…" Ignoring the world spinning around, Lee dashes toward the enemy.

"Besides, I'm underage," he said in a conversational tone as he ducks the other ninja's kick. Flipping sideways, he lashes out with a foot and rights himself at the same time. Sidestepping slightly, Lee obnoxiously hollers, "Kids are not allowed alcohol!" like it's the most profound truth in the world. With a wild grin on his flushed face, he punches with his right fist, and when it was blocked, Lee immediately follows with a left jab at the torso.

Sharp pain suddenly erupts from his left hand and the green-clothed youth found himself flying backwards through the air. Lee opens his blurry eyes, and gasps in surprise. Protruding from Kimimaro's chest are bleach white bones, curved and pointed at the ends. The stupefied youth glances down, and sees his own blood dripping onto the grass. Sobriety finally strikes, and Lee slowly gets up.

"Was I … drunk?"

-----------

Hidden within the treetops, Gaara saw everything. It seems the enemy has a unique ability, probably a bloodline limit. He's glad that he did not jump into the fray immediately. It was a good idea to wait and observe the enemy before acting.

He would have waited longer, but when that Sound-nin deflected the famous Lotus technique, he decided to step in.

----------

He recalled looking death in the face. The Sound shinobi was just about to deliver the finishing blow, but something stopped him. Both of them flew backwards, but something soft is cushioning his fall.

Rock Lee opens his eyes. All he could see is sand.

_Sand! Am I still drunk? _

"Who are you?" Kimimaro asks of the small boy standing imperiously before him.

"Shinobi of the Sand," answers a cold, emotionless voice. Lee quickly looks up to meet the hard stare of Sabaku no Gaara.

"Gaara of the Desert…" The Leaf shinobi says his nickname in a dazed tone. Gaara didn't bother to answer, and slowly makes his way in front of him while staring down at silent enemy.

"Gaara," Kimimaro tested the sound of the name, "is that you?" When he got no reply, the Sound-nin decides to attack anyways. Small white bullets of bone shot out of his outstretched hands, right at the Sand shinobi. Kimimaro watches with no expression on his face as a wall of sand materializes in front of the boy, successfully absorbing the attack.

"You're so hasty."

Turning his head slightly, Gaara tells Lee, "You had more speed and spirit when we fought." Lee blinks. It isn't like it was a question, just a detached statement.

"Whatever you say. I do not have a grudge against you or anything, but because of you, I had to go through some hardships," he replies politely while he picks himself up from the ground.

"I see." Sand begins to flow back into the gourd.

"But regardless of that, why are you here?"

"I owe Konoha," Gaara pauses, losing himself in the memories of the past, "… a big debt."

Brushing himself off, the green garbed shinobi takes a few paces, positioning himself in front of Gaara. The stoic red head glances at the older ninja's deep, bleeding puncture wound with a disapproving frown. He also notices the blood dripping from reopened wounds on Lee's bandgaged hands. Remembering their fight in the chunin exams, and the critical condition he left him at, Gaara announces quietly, "I'll fight him."

"No, I will have you as my backup." The taller shinobi begins to run towards the enemy. With barely controlled patience, Gaara sends a lasso of sand to restrain him. He almost forgot to give him some sand to pillow his fall. Almost.

"Please release me!" Lee indignantly commands, trying his hardest to not lose his temper.

"You can do nothing in your condition," Gaara responds, "I'll fight him." There is no questioning that tone of voice. It would be very foolish to do so.

"Please be careful! His attacks consist of bones, which he can control freely." Gaara is surprised at the blatant concern the green-garbed idiot exhibited. He is certain that the Leaf-nin did not forget their bloody fight, and yet, he is outwardly concerned for his safety. Him, the monster that almost took his life.

_Is this the hidden strength of Konoha? To have strong hearts, instead of focusing on strong techniques?_

-----------

"Damn, what do they feed you?" Kankuro grunts as he readjusts his arm that's supporting Kiba as the two shinobis make their way back to the village. His other hand is still controlling Kuro Asi while Karasu went on his back.

"Instead of complaining, why don't you find more time to get yourself in shape?" The hapless Inuzuka growls back, clearly not happy being half carried by someone else. One arm holding Akamaru carefully, and the other slung across Kankuro's shoulder, he had no choice but to rest most of his weight on the Sand-nin or else he wouldn't be able to walk at all.

"And if you trained harder, you wouldn't have been beaten up in the first place."

"Shut up! You don't know what I had to go through."

"Oh yeah? Lemme guess… your doggy there got himself injured, and like the good master you are, you risked your life to save him," the puppeteer rants on, mistaking Kiba's stony silence as proof that he guessed correctly, "If you ask me, you should've just left him there. I mean you can always get another-"

"Shut up!" Kiba barks in rage. Roughly, he pushes himself away from the older shinobi, and collapses on the ground.

"What the hell?"

"You don't know anything! Akamaru's not just any dog, he's a comrade! You just don't leave a friend behind, what kind of companion are you? He's not like one of your lifeless puppets, doing whatever you tell them to, and then you just get to throw them away once they're broken." Kiba spits on the ground. His arm tightens protectively around the unconscious Akamaru.

"I will not be seen with you," the Inuzuka snarls in a dangerously low voice.

Kankuro frowns.

"The success of the mission should always come first," he directly quotes from the a beginner's textbook.

"So you would abandon your comrade for the mission? Then you're a pathetic person," Kiba glowers with resent.

The older boy walks over to where Kiba laid sprawled on the dirt. Without a word, Kankuro extends his one free hand towards the Leaf-nin.

"You should get up. The more time you waste on arguing, the less chance that dog of yours will survive." Kiba freezes at his comment. He hadn't thought of that. Shame washes over him, and he guiltily takes the offered hand.

"You know, I've had Karasu ever since I was ten," Kankuro says conversationally, "and it has seen better days."

"So? What's your point?" Kiba grumbles as they tread slowly through the undergrowth.

"I'm saying, that it had been broken plenty of times. If I had tossed it away whenever it broke, it would've been gone a long time ago." Kiba looks at him curiously, wondering if he's hearing him correctly.

"So what I'm trying to say is..."

"Yeah, I gotcha." The Inuzuka grins, revealing his canine teeth. Kankuro smirks back, glad he didn't need to completely apologize.

The two lapse into a comfortable silence. Kiba checks on the condition of his canine friend, and closes his eyes, grateful just to be alive.

"Hey."

"Yeah?"

"Any chance you can introduce me to your sister?"

"Don't push it."

---------

Thunk.

The sound of the kunai hitting the target is calming. Neko picks up another dagger, and with a much-practiced motion, sends the kunai towards the same target.

Thunk.

It's been three days since they left. There's been no word from them. Although, Temari never did tell her how long it is going to take.

Thunk.

It's getting kind of lonely by herself. Each day passed like clockwork. Wake up, go to school, go to Chiyo's after school, read until dinner, and then sleep once more.

Thunk.

Life is getting boring.

Thunk.

Something has to happen. Or else she'll drive herself nuts.

Neko pauses in her kunai-throwing to assess the target board. The battered wooden target is littered with numerous metal projectiles. Only a small percentage of them actually hit the dead center, while the majority was embedded on the outer regions.

"Your elbow's too stiff. Try and aim to your right more."

The silent girl turns towards the unfamiliar voice. The jounin known as Baki stands rigidly behind her. Remembering him from those training sessions she attended, Neko hastily bows her head as a gesture of greeting.He slightly nods his head in acknowledgement.

"Now, let's see that throw again."

Neko nods, and picks up another kunai that she gathered and laid out on the ground. Concentrating on aiming to the right and loosening up her elbow, she let it fly.

Thunk.

Square in the center.

She turns with a small smile towards the older man. Baki gives her a brusque nod of praise.

"Missing the others won't help you. Training yourself to be stronger, so that next time you can help them; now that can be a more productive. However, if you're going to do that, at least practice with your full concentration, and not let your mind wander like that." Baki turns and heads back into his office.

By herself again, Neko eyes the target board with fierce determination. Straightening her shoulders, she walks up to the battered piece of wood and proceeds to pluck all the daggers embedded there. She gathers all of them, and walks back to where she was. With Baki's words still fresh in her mind, Neko begins to start anew, her mind clear and resolute.

Thunk.

* * *

Notes: Hahaha, I admit, I'm a sucker for my reviewers. Since so many people wanted Lee, and it was a close call, I decided to add him in anyways. He's good comic relief. I'm also going to include the hospital room scene, and Tsunade is in that one, so I guess the voting thing is rendered obsolete now, but I see no one complaining. Hehe. 

I also notice I'm skipping back and forth between Japanese names and English ones, I hope I don't confuse anyone with that. I really like the Japanese ones since they sound so cool, but I put in the English ones in case some ppl don't know the translations.

I'm currently at a loss to what might happen after this chapter... a minor case of writer's block. If anyone is kind enough to leave some ideas of what the sand siblings might do during their brief stay in Konoha, that would be great. I read all my reviews, and will take everything under serious consideration (ahem, that is, if it's reasonable).

Next Chapter:

_"So this is where you went off to."_

_Shikamaru snaps out of his quiet reverie. He looks up to see Temari leaning on the metal balustrade of the roof._


	11. Chapter 10

Spoiler: Retrieval Arc

Disclaimer: Some dialogue from fansub. Do not own Naruto.

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_  
_

**  
A Reason**

_A hound of the shadows pursued her. She ran wildly, arms swinging about in a frenzied movement._

_It was no use._

_No matter how fast she ran, or how far, the monster always caught up to her. There is no other option but to submit._

_The frail girl suddenly tripped on her own feet, and slammed into the hard ground. She tried to scream out for help, but no sound came out. She looked up, and found herself staring into amber eyes. Anger and pure resent emanated from the demonic creature, and its golden orbs glimmered with barely-contained hate._

_Fear held her completely, and she lied frozen to the ground, unable to move a single inch._

_With a flash of sharp incisors, and a snarl of carnal pleasure, the dark hound tore open her throat. Dark crimson erupted from the vulnerable flesh underneath her chin, and spilled generously down her chest. The dog's jaws were locked tight on her throat, and it thrashed its head violently._

_She felt life leaving her body. Steam rose from her fatal wound, and her fading eyes followed the splatters of her own blood blending into the darkness. The hound faded into the infinite abyss, and left her lifeless body._

_Drifting in the emptiness. All alone._

---------

"I completely lost…" Gaara murmurs to himself. The two shinobis are resting in the shade of the trees. Both of them completely depleted their chakra, so Lee suggested that they rest and wait for the med-nins that will surely come.

"That's not true. My sensei taught me that luck is also a skill."

Gaara recalls the obnoxiously cheerful jonin dressed in a green body suit. The older and more disturbing version of boy sitting besides him. The one who stopped him from finishing Lee at the chunin exams. He scoffs, "That meddling fool?"

"He is not a meddling fool! He saved me that time. I appreciate your help and everything, but I will not permit you to speak of Gai-sensei like that!" An incensed Rock Lee sits up and glares daggers at the younger boy.

"You too huh?" The red head looks straight ahead. His eyes alight upon the forest of bones that Kimimaro has created in his last, and final attack. The deadly white trees reach high up into the blue sky, a fearsome reminder of the power of the Kaguya clan.

"When you feel the name of the person you admire is disgraced, you get terribly hurt as well as enraged." Gaara stares off into the cloudless sky. He recalls the earlier battle.

-------

"_I will not be destroyed. I am not alone. I will be in his heart forever!" The last of the Kaguya clan screams. _

_Kimimaro's arm, one that is transformed into a bone drill, rushes at his face at an impossible velocity. Gaara was sure that he was done for. _

_Fear gripped his heart. It was the first time he remembered being so scared. _

_**But of what? Of death?** He heard Shukaku sneer._

_Hadn't he always loathed his own existence? Shouldn't he have welcomed death with open arms?_

_He realizes with a start that he is not willing to part with his life. There is something that ties him to the living world. Or maybe someone._

_But the Sound-nin never had the chance to complete the attack. Just inches in front of his face, the pointed spiral of bone stopped as its wielder froze. Blood dripped from his already cold lips and fell into the ground. _

_Lee stated the obvious, "I think… he is dead."_

-------------

"He was fighting for his important person. Just like…. Uzumaki Naruto," he finishes. Lee blinks in surprise at the unlikely comparison.

"But just because that someone is important to you, doesn't mean that person is good."

"Is that so? Well I do not think anyone would consider a bad person as important," Lee replies, his ever trusting nature showing itself.

Gaara looks at him, not sure if he should be disdainful or marvel at the ninja's naiveté. He grimaces. Lee's outlook reminds him too much of another's innocent faith in human character.

"No. Even if one knew that person is evil, they can still not defeat their own loneliness," the red head answers with the utmost conviction in his voice. There is no doubt about it. He has experienced it for the majority of his life.

Being alone is the worst thing in the world.

Lee glances at him with a sympathetic look, and decides to remain quiet. Unfortunately, it did not last long.

"I must thank you once again! Once we return to our village, I must treat you to a meal at Ichiraku Ramen!"

"… No."

----------

Temari had watched in silence as the young chunin paced restlessly down the hall. When he had made about fifty rounds, he plopped himself resignedly on the seat across from her. Unable to keep still, he settled for twiddling his thumbs and fingers at a dizzying speed.

Temari herself is the epitome of calmness, with her legs crossed in front and both of her hands placed primly on one raised knee.

But then again, it isn't her teammates whom are hanging perilously on to life.

"Being nervous doesn't do anything." He raises his eyes to gaze at her.

"Sacrifices are expected in a mission," she reminds him, "Haven't you gone through psychological training?"

His eyebrows gather in a scowl, and dark eyes glares at her wordlessly. She meets his stare easily, and it is the younger ninja who lowered his eyes first.

The chunin's quiet voice spoke of defeat.

"Training is different from real battles… I thought I knew what missions were. I thought I knew that the life of a ninja was like this. This was my first mission as a team leader. And now I know…" Shikamaru says as he looks at the sand kunochi straight in the eyes.

"I'm just not cut out to be a ninja."

Her face blank, Temari regards him in silence. She knew he isn't as tough as he made out to be, but this moment of vulnerability completely threw her off. Never has anyone exposed themselves so openly to her. Not her siblings, not those superficial friends she used to have back in her village.

_This guy… why is he telling me this? I am merely an acquaintance. We're not even friends. Does he feel like he needs to explain himself just because I rescued him?_

Compassion is definitely not in Temari's vocabulary when regarding males, especially if this guy happens to be the brat that humiliated her in the chunin exam. But regardless, she tried to distract him from his self-depreciation by trying to get a rise out of him. Anger is always better than self-remorse.

"Unexpectedly fragile, aren't you? Even though you're supposed to be a man…"

But it seems he knew what she was trying to do, because he stood up and ignored the bait.

"Even when I was appointed as the leader, all I could do was rely and trust everyone."

He lowers his head and stares at the floor.

"I was too naïve. I didn't have enough strength." His good hand clenches tightly into a fist.

"It's all my fault."

Her jade eyes narrowing in disgust, Temari asks, "Are you afraid of getting hurt?"

The corners of his mouth lifts in a slight bitter smile, and ignoring her presence completely, Shikamaru turns and walks down the hall.

A familiar voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Shikamaru, you're going to let a girl diss you and just run away?"

The young shinobi didn't need to turn around to know that it was his father who had spoken those harsh words.

Nara Shikaku, who was listening to the earlier conversation, is leaning with his back against the wall of an adjacent hallway.

"It's too troublesome. I don't want to get into an argument." He pauses, as if to reassure himself as well as his father. "I'm not a girl."

"Yeah, but you're not a man either," retorts the older Nara.

Temari winced. The old man has a way with words.

"You're just a coward. Even if you quit being a ninja, the missions will go on. Someone will take your place, and your friends will just be sent off under a new group leader. And your friends might die on those missions. But it's also possible that if the leader happens to be you, then at that time, your friends may not end up dead…"

Shikamaru stiffens.

"By reflecting on what happened this time and learning from your experience, you may be able to complete a mission flawlessly. If your friends are truly important to you, then before you think about running away, you should think about how to become a better ninja for your friends! That's how true friends are supposed to be!"

The older shinobi spits out his last words with disgust, "You coward!"

Her green eyes sadden at his father's verbal attack. The older ninja's words are too true, but at the same time, they serve a very vital purpose. Shikaku is rebuking his child because he actually cares. He wants Shikamaru to try his hardest and to teach him about the important things in life.

Not like her father.

The former Kazekage has been nothing but a stranger to her and her younger siblings. Whenever she did catch a glimpse of her father, he was either immersed within his work, his head buried under stacks of paperwork, or talking with important government officials. It was in her mother that Temari found some semblance of parental care, and that only lasted for a few years. It ended once Gaara was born.

So this scene of a parent admonishing his child, it only reminded Temari how much she is missing. This close bond that is shared by a parent and a child, a bond she never experienced.

Temari glances at Shikamaru's back as the young chunin tries to withstand the battering of his father's admonishments

_Shikamaru, you don't know how lucky you are._

The door to the emergency room opens quietly. Temari turns her head to see a woman with a powerful presence emerge from the pristine emergency room. With an equally powerful voice, the Fifth Hokage announces "He's alright now!"

"Tsunade sama!" A girl with short black hair runs down the hall towards the Hokage. Her face alight with joy, Shizune stops abruptly and gasps out, "Hyuuga Neji is out of critical condition. And a report just came in. It says that Kakashi and Naruto have returned. Naruto has substained serious injuries, but none are life-threatening."

Temari immediately looks at Shikamau with concern.

_All of his teammates survived, but the mission..._

With a resigned sigh, Tsunade calls out to the shinobi, "Shikamaru, looks like the mission failed." The young ninja trembles with emotion, and he ducks his head so that nobody can see his face.

"But everyone's alive. That's the most important thing," the Hokage says with a relieved smile.

"Next time, I will do it perfectly!"

He uttered the words like a promise. A promise to his father, a promise to himself, but most importantly, it is a promise to his dear friends.

Without a backward glance, Shikamaru half walks, half runs out of the hospital corridor, and bursts out into the bright afternoon sun. He needs a place to collect himself. Shikamaru begins to head towards his usual cloud-gazing spot, not realizing that he is being followed.

--------

"Foolish girl, what have you been doing?" the elderly woman chides gently as she carefully wraps the bandages around Neko's bleeding hands. The silent girl stands still with a wistful expression on her young face.

Apparently, gripping the handle of kunais and readjusting her grip had been too much on her soft hands, and blisters soon emerged. Unwilling to stop, Neko continued her throwing practice and only desisted when her arm became too tired to even move. The blisters had long since bursted open, and blood coated her hands. But it was worth it.

Nine out of ten times, she hit the target. And it wasn't just at the edge, it was dead center. Once she is proficient with kunais, she'll move on to shurikens and senbons.

"Here," Chiyo hands her a tiny bottle of pungent ointment, "This will help your skin to become harder. You'll probably get callouses soon afterwards."

Neko blinks in surprise. She didn't think her mentor would be so observant. She smiles her thanks at Chiyo's rare display of generosity, and retreats back into her makeshift room.

--------

His dark eyes earnestly search the azure sky, but he couldn't find what he is seeking: the clouds.

"So this is where you went off to."

Shikamaru snaps out of his quiet reverie. He looks up to see Temari leaning on the metal balustrade of the roof.

"What are you doing here?"

"Could ask you the same thing, crybaby."

"…"

"What? No smart comeback?"

"If you're here to gloat, you're wasting your time."

"Who said I was? I think that lecture your father gave you is quite enough."

"Don't you have somewhere to be? Did you check in with the Hokage already?"

Temari glances over at his lanky figure lying carelessly on the bench. His upturned face is closed, and the young shinobi was just staring at the sky listlessly.

_If he wants me to leave that desperately…_

"The Fifth let me follow you since you didn't look too happy when you left. But because you're really boring company right now, I'm gonna go." She pushes herself off of the railing, and with a graceful jump, disappears off of the roof top.

Shikamaru watches her go without protesting. He assures himself that it was the smart thing to do.The fact that she said the Fifth 'let' her look for him, meaning she willingly sought him out was not lost upon him. He analyzed possible objectives on her part, all of them turning to be not that simple.

_Women like her are way too troublesome. If I told her to stay, that would lead to more complicated outcomes. And right now, I cannot afford to have anymore distractions._

His brilliant mind continues to list more reasons why ignoring her is the best course of action. He decides to stop when he reached thirty-five. His usual scowl transforms into a smile tinted with bitterness.

_It doesn't really matter. Even if I can find a hundred reasons to avoid her, I still can't defeat this wretched feeling of loneliness._

---------

"We, the village of the Leaf, are indebted to you, shinobis of the Sand. As you probably know already, the mission was a failure, but because of the promptness in which you responded, lives were saved."

The Hokage looks at the gathered two Sand-nins with a grateful and faintly curious expression. The tallest one, and probably the eldest with the way she carries herself, has a large fan strapped to her back. The kunoichi's dirty blonde hair is tied up in four pigtails, and the girl herself exudes a sense of sensuality, even without makeup.

The other is shorter, and wore a complete black outfit. And while the sister does not have a trace of makeup, the Hokage observes with amusement, the younger one's face is completely covered with kabuki face paint.

The odd-looking duo is assembled in the Hokage Tower for the evening briefing of the mission. Gaara was not in his room, and Konoha is too big to go look for him. The youngest sibling dropped in briefly after the completion of the mission, but left shortly afterwards, with no words of his destination. Temari watches the setting sun with uneasiness.

"Here is the necessary paperwork for your return trip, although you're welcome to stay as long as you want," the fair and surprisingly youthful-looking woman says as she hands Temari a light scroll.

"Thank you very much, Hokage-sama. Unfortunately, we do plan to depart as soon as possible," Temari cordially replies without a trace of a smile. Next to her, Kankuro cannot help but sullenly scowl in resentment. Seeing this, Tsunade frowns.

"I hope nothing here is disappointing..." Tsunade cocks a thin eyebrow in an unvoiced question.

"Of course not," the Sand kunoichi replies easily and takes her leave. When she thought she is out of earshot, Temari mutters under her breath, "Just the spoiled brats."

The silent Hokage watches the two young shinobis depart, a devious plan forming in her mind.

_Konoha's spoiled brats eh?_

---------

Coal-rimmed green gazes wordlessly at the slight blonde lying unconscious on the hospital bed. The patient's room is completely dark, with no light coming from the new moon. But Gaara is still able to tell the prone form is none other than Uzumaki Naruto by the distinctive chakra.

He has a red-hot inferno burning inside of him. One that threatens to completely devastate all that stands in his path if unleashed. A raging fire that refuses to burn out.

_Very dangerous. But intriguing all the same._

Said blonde is covered head to toe with heavy bandages. With the scant information he gathered earlier from overheard conversations, the red head surmises that he must have fought with Uchiha Sasuke. And since the dark-haired shinobi is nowhere in sight, Uzumaki must have lost.

Gaara doesn't know why he snuck out of the room he shares with his siblings to look for Naruto. Maybe because he wanted to see the blundering fool whom he lost to. The one who opened his eyes that day. The one who suffered just as he does.

He wants to talk with him more about bonds. About the strange feeling one gets whenever another person freely reaches for one's hand. About how one would gather enough courage to strive for a bond.

But the blonde is passed out in a death-like coma. Gaara knew the Uchiha was in the same team as Uzumaki, and the two most likely shared a strong bond. The fight that transpired had a deep significance. It signifies the breaking of the bond which the two nourished, albeit unknowingly, and left the blonde shinobi physically and emotionally exhausted; therefore, in no condition to be bothered with his musings.

_It will have to wait another day then._

The red head regards the Kyuubi container for a few more seconds. In a swirl of sand, he disappears into night, leaving a few grains of sand as proof of his visit.

---------

"How long are we staying?"

"Why do you wanna leave already? We just got here." Purple face paint twists into a frown. Temari scoffs.

"What's so great about staying here? People here are so pathetic."

Kankuro sneaks a tentative look at the blonde kunoichi. Temari is eating, or rather, jabbing at some egg flour noodles they bought from a nearby convenience store. If there's one good thing about Konoha, it's the abundance of junk food. Instant ramen is considered a luxury in the economically ravaged Sunagakure.

"Alright, who pissed you off now?"

"You're the one who's pissing me off with your attitude," she snaps back.

"Damn it woman! I'm just saying, since we took three days to get here, might as well enjoy ourselves and have some fun. The Hokage has graciously offered free room and board since we helped out with their mission. Might as well take advantage of it."

Temari slams her chopsticks on the table with a loud bang.

"Did you forget? Neko is still all by herself! Not to mention, everyday she spends at Chiyo's my wallet gets lighter and lighter." She glares at her brother accusingly. She also gestures at the spacious and well-furnished room.

"This isn't a pleasure trip, this is a mission! We can't afford to let ourselves relax and become soft like those brats. Did you look around? All the villagers looked at us like we're criminals. It doesn't matter that Suna and Konoha are now allies, nobody trusts us anyways. We do not belong here, understand?"

Kankuro grumbles and returns to his bowl of noodles. The oldest sibling roughly pushes back her chair, and storms into her single bedroom.

"Must be that time of the month."

* * *

_  
_

Notes: Awww... Shikamaru being mean. Ok, now that even Tsunade made a brief appearance, all there's left is Ino! I really want to try a Ino x Shikamaru x Temari thing, but the manga and anime doesn't even have a hint of that.

Ok, last few chapters that involves ripping off of the Dattebayo's fansubs. I guess it's boring for some people, but it works better out this way. Writer's block is unblocked... sorta, but I find myself writing stuff that is really irrevelant to the story. Plus, school's starting soon so... heh updates will be slow. Plus, I'm gonna try to make the chapters longer, cuz that way the story will flow better. Sorry!

O yea, decided to go back and revise my earlier chapters. Fixed some grammer and formatting errors (But everytime I look over it, I always find some more.. sighs) and I was thinking of adding song lyrics, but it was prohibited and really cliche anyways. Sighs.

Next Chapter Preview:

_Gaara finishes the last page with an unimpressed scoff. These books are really worthless. Any person who would seriously take the directions from these manuscripts is a complete idiot._


	12. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Naruto's not mine.  


Spoiler: Retrieval Arc

* * *

**  
Night Out**

The Konoha library, a well-lit and peaceful facility, houses a commendable collection of scrolls and books. Corridors and corridors are filled to the ceiling with infinite amount of wisdom and knowledge. The morning sun begins to rise from the east, and Konoha's citizens slowly awaken. A half-awake librarian fumbles with the keys as he lazily unlocks the main doors and turns on the lights. As the wizen old man waddles to his desk, passing the reading tables, he suddenly stops, and does a double take.

The blooming dawn softly illuminates upon the wooden tables and chairs, but what catches the man's attention is a mop of bright crimson, along with a cumbersome sand-colored gourd sitting in the farthest corner. The elder blinks, thinking it's a trick of the light.

_Who would be in the library, reading books at this hour? _

He shakes his head, and proceeds to the main librarian's desk.

_Damn cataracts. Making me see things._

_------------_

Gaara finishes the last page with an unimpressed scoff.

_These books are really worthless. Any person who would seriously take the directions from these manuscripts is a complete idiot._

The Sand shinobi found the library by chance as he was heading back. Remembering Konoha is somewhat famous for its considerable selection of reading, he decided to take a look. Suna's library is filled with historical scrolls and such, and is mostly inaccessible to the public. And some of the tomes are so outdated and ancient that the pages threatened to crumble to dust at the slightest touch.

The library's sparse security measures were a joke for Gaara. Once inside, he easily found a light switch, but decided against it since it as too easy for detection. He could see pretty well in the dimness anyways.

The genin browsed in the mild darkness, his attention dwindling by the second. He was in the self-help section, and the books which were teaching how to water plants and to learn basic ninjutsu did not pique his interest in the least.

Suddenly, a title caught his eye. Gaara stopped, and slowly took the book off of the shelf. He scanned the same shelf, and came across many others similar in topic, which he took as well. Feeling a slight curiosity, he situated himself in an isolated corner with the books and began to read. It was not until early morning that he finally finished all of them.

He flips the back cover shut and stacks it on top of the other finished volumes. The young shinobi glares wordlessly at the embossed words, "Fostering Better Interpersonal Relationships" up on the front and mentally reviews what he just read.

_To reduce an emotional barrier, and in order to become closer to another, one should drop name suffixes. _

Well he never referred to anyone with a san or a sama. He didn't need to pay respect to anyone, people pay respect to him. Suffixes are a waste of breath since whomever he talked with usually died the other day. So that was out.

_When applicable, give others an affectionate nickname. A nickname usually refers to a person's special traits or characteristics._

Gaara frowns at this. The only constant people in his life are his siblings and maybe Baki-sensei. Calling Temari a 'nagging bitch' hardly seemed appealing, and dubbing Kankuro the 'bed-wetter' might not achieve the results he wants. So that tactic is rendered useless also.

_Go out of your way to reach out. Simple, thoughtful actions done in the consideration of others will be a reward in itself._

Upon reading those words, Gaara almost threw the book down in disgust. The writer clearly had no idea what he is talking about. Look at what happened when he decided to save that worthless girl from the drunken men, much gratitude he received back then.

All the other books he read, such as "How to Quickly Become Friends with People", "Developing Communications", and worst of all, "Bridging the Gap" are all of the same generic and useless information. Gaara stewed by himself in the dark corner, staring at the books that are a waste of his time.

How do you expect a person to be received when all he ever did was bring pain? How could a monster like him expect to develop these 'bonds' when people are too scared to even spare him a glance? How can it be possible when he took pleasure from other's pain? Clearly the authors did not think through all the worst-case scenarios.

He takes his leave the same way he entered, undetected. Let the blind old fool put away those books, he's not staying in that building a second longer.

_------------_

Shikamaru walks down the street alone, with his hands shoved deep in his pockets. He had left from the Konoha hospital after checking on Choji's condition. It seems that his teammate is still unconscious, and visitors are still not allowed. With more time to kill, he decided to drop in on Naruto, who seemed alright, and he left promptly with the appearance of Uzumaki's other teammate, Sakura Haruno. The atmosphere was too troublesome in there.

The dark-haired chunin strolls past the open-air vendors and the overzealous merchants advertising their booths of trinkets. He does not spare the chattering passersby so much as a glance. In his eyes, there is only one important destination. His house.

The young Nara pushes open the front door cautiously, and furtively looks around. Shikamaru sees his father's large pair of scandals lying haphazardly along with his mother's neatly placed ones on the floor, and sighs. There's no avoiding it then.

"Ah, so the coward's home?" His father mockingly taunts him. Hearing his comment, Shikamaru's mother emerges from the kitchen with a death glare and demands, "Just where have you been last night?"

"Hanging at a friend's place," is his enigmatic reply. Shikamaru winces at the murderous expression on his mother's face, and decides that twelve years is too short for a life.

With a swiftness that can put Rock Lee to shame, Yoshino Nara crosses the short distance between her and her son. Yanking on one ear fiercely, she says in a frightening voice, "How dare you not come home after a mission. If it wasn't for your father's vouch, I wouldn't even know if you're alive or not! Mister, I think you need a good time-out in your room. Right now." Both hands on her hips, his mom watches him with a threatening scowl, and Shikamaru, with a quick glance at his father (who is immersed in the newspaper), grudgingly trudges up the stairs to his room.

With a suppressed groan, he flops down on his neatly straightened futon, obviously the work of his demonic mother, and stares wordlessly at the ceiling. He is somewhat glad that he got sent to his room; he needs the time alone to dispel his pounding headache. Events of last night are muddy and blurry in his consciousness, and Shikamaru finds himself glowering at empty air at his inability to remember.

-----------

There were no clouds that day. A bad omen.

He decided that he'll go back to the clinic and check on Choji again. Kiba and Neji he knew were okay, and Naruto… well the little blonde fool is tough like nails. He wouldn't be killed even if he tried. But Choji; Choji is the one he worried the most about.

_You promised to catch up to us. We left markers for you to follow. Choji… why did you have to go so far? _

The hushed strains of a conversation made him pause in the hallway. Sounded a lot like Ino's voice, but it couldn't be. It wasn't a whiny tone, and there was no biting snap in her remarks.

"We can't see him yet?" the familiar voice asked. Shikamaru stealthily sneaked a glance into the corridor. It was Ino. And Choji's father, Choza Akimichi.

"No, his condition is still critical. But thanks to Tsunade-sama, there is hope," the portly jounin sighed anxiously, "Konoha is really blessed to have her. If she wasn't there… Choji, he migh have…"

He didn't really need to finish the sentence. Ino caught the meaning and her face became even more drawn. She clenched both hands tightly, and looked at the closed double doors with the most desolate expression Shikamaru has ever seen. Her delicate features were marred with concern and a strange tint of helplessness, and it struck a nerve within him. She was always the strong and brave one in the group, and to see her vulnerable like this disturbed him to no end.

_It's all because of me that she's like this. Because of me, everyone is hurting. _

For the second time that day, Shikamaru found himself striding out of the Konoha hospital with a dismal heart and an indecisive destination. He watched the blood red sun lower itself behind the mountain ranges.

_Just where could I go now?_

There was no way that he will go home. He couldn't take another verbal beating from his father. Choji's was out, and he couldn't even bear to look at Ino, much less ask to stay for the night. Everyone else he knows was either hospitalized or out on a mission.

His genius mind contemplated as his wandering feet took him to the section of the town that he usually ventured into. He glanced casually at the Hokage Tower, its elevation and proud Leaf insignia setting it apart from its neighbors, and grimaced. Reflexively, Shikamaru hunched his shoulders and sank into a slouching posture. There is no need for people to recognize his worthless self.

It was purely by chance that he caught sight of a familiar figure exiting a three-story building to his right. The lazy shinobi halted in his self-deprecation and watched curiously. Even though it was already dark, and the streetlights were sparse, there was no mistaking the distinctive cracked gourd and hair the color of dried blood.

_Isn't that Gaara of the Desert? _

Upon further inspection, that particular building, according to his precise memory, is the one the Hokage uses to house ambassadors and foreign guests. And since he just saw one of Sand Siblings, the others should be close by.

He felt like a stalker, as he climbed a nearby tree and surveyed the windows. After a good hour of observation, he finally found the one he wanted. The miniscule amount of pride he had already eradicated, the chunin lightly tossed some pebbles he found against the window pane.

She opened the window cautiously, her eyes roving suspiciously in all four directions. He stepped out from the shadows of the tree. A trace of surprise was all she showed, and a wary stare soon replaced it.

"What are you doing here?" she asked quietly. She wasn't sure if Kankuro was sleeping or not, but she didn't want him to bother her with questions later.

"I was just walking around. Decided to drop in to see if you guys were settling in okay," Shikamaru rambled uselessly. Now that she was there, he didn't know what to say. He wanted to smack himself when she looked at him with a skeptical eyebrow.

"If you're not gonna apologize for earlier, then don't bother. Cuz I need sleep," she replied briskly as she moved back to slide the window shut.

"Wait!" he caught himself, and with a more subdued voice asked, "You got a few minutes?" At her curt nod, he continued.

"Yeah, I guess I was being stupid today. I didn't even properly thank you for everything, did I? So yeah… thanks for rescuing my sorry ass. If there's anything I can do…" Shikamaru trailed off lamely, and just settled for observing her countenance for a reaction.

She obviously took pleasure at his embarrassing apology. Temari relaxed a bit, and leaned both elbows on the window sill. Although she still had one hand ready at her waist, where a weapon was undoubtedly concealed.

"Idiot, you came all the way for that?"

"…Not really," he mumbled to himself, "I need a place to crash for the night."

Apparently, it looked like Temari was good at reading lips, because as soon as the words were out of his mouth, she burst out laughing. He sulked silently by himself, and endured the humiliation.

"Couldn't face your parents? Or did they kick you out?" she teased between chuckles. The dark-haired male scoffed and chose to remain silent. When the kunoichi finally decided to cut him a break, he supplied, "I don't really know why I stopped here. But I'll be going now. Sorry to be a bother." He turned around, and prepared to climb down the tree. Temari waited until he was almost at the ground before she jumped out the window and glided down with her fan.

She ignored his deliberate look, and pointed out that he said he would do anything. She commented on how early the night was, and proceeded to drag him out to the streets, and demanded that he show her Konoha's night life. Shikamaru reluctantly acquiesced when she promised that he will have a room afterwards.

Temari persuaded him to take her to a late-night pub, where the bartender was too smitten with her fake advances to care about their age. She challenged the despondent chunin to a drinking game. One person would ask the other a personal question, and if that person cannot answer, then that person would down a cup of sake. If the question is answered, then the other person would drink a cup.

Temari started first, since Shikamaru was reluctant to go along with the game. However, once they started, he discovered his sensibility seemed to be misplaced somewhere, along with his sense of practicality and pride.

"Why did you decide to become a ninja even though you're too lazy to work for it?" she asked. He smirked. Too easy.

"Cuz all my friends were getting into it. I just followed since I didn't want to be left out."

She made a face at his pathetic answer, and promptly drank a cup.

"My turn. How do you put up with your brothers?"

"Huh. I deal. Not like I got any parents to fall back on," she shot him a pointed look. Shikamaru tried not to flinch and reached for his brimming cup. He sipped tentatively, and grimaced at the burning sensation that tore up his throat. With much effort, he managed to finish a cup in front of her amused gaze.

"Not a big drinker are we? Alright, what's the most embarrassing thing you've ever did?"

"… tried skipping class through the window, but a stray nail tore up my pants. Had my boxers hanging out for the whole day." Temari guffawed and tipped back a cup. She showed him the empty glass and set it back on the counter with a flourish.

"How did your parents die?"

"Father was murdered by a Sound-nin, probably Orichamaru. Mother died giving birth to Gaara," she replied tonelessly, as if it was a rehearsed line already. Shikamaru nodded at her answer and finished his glass. He started to feel a faint, but pleasant buzz in his head, and the room seemed warmer than usual.

"Do you miss them?" he asked her seriously, not noticing that he spoke out of turn. Temari grinned inwardly at his mild intoxication, and decided to humor him.

"I was too young to really understand what happened with mom. And I wasn't that close with father. He was almost like a stranger," she replied while pushing another cup at him. He swallowed it without a word.

"Hm… that teammate of yours, yeah, that blonde chick. Is there anything going on between you two?" Jade green glanced sideways at the Leaf-nin slyly. The number of glasses he took should have taken effect already. Alcohol is always the best for loosening up tongues.

Shikamaru leaned his chin on one hand thoughtfully. Now that was a tricky question.

Ino had always been like the bossy sister he and Choji never had. And never asked for. But lately, new feelings have emerged, and he would be lying to himself if she was just another teammate to him. He didn't know when, but he began to notice how other guys always turned their heads to gawk at her flawless figure. He also had a sudden onset of over protectiveness when she wore that dangerous mini skirt for a particular blind date. He must have said something to her, which probably earned him a slap.

Ino herself never suggested anything. Anything more than friends that is. She had certainly grown closer to both of them, but that might just be because of the required amount of time she had to spend with the team. Ino was the social butterfly, and he was the socially inept outsider, doomed to forever admire her glimmering wings from the ground.

"I don't think there is. I mean, she hasn't hinted at anything besides just being friends. Besides, even if she wanted something, a relationship with her is just too troublesome," he mumbled while fingering the silver hoop attached to his right ear. The earring which is a sign of Team Ten's close bond as well as a remainder of their respective fathers' legacy.

Temari nodded in understanding, and quietly sipped at her drink. Her alert eyes observed the dingy bar, the dense, hazy clouds of smoke gave the establishment a stifling air. Conversations and words were muffled in a thick nebula of deceit and seduction, and people were protrayed in a different light.

Shikamaru blinked. Is it just him or was the table spinning?

His mind warned him that he had too much already, but impulsiveness was slowly taking him over. He wanted the numbness. Wanted the carefree sensation the booze supplied him. He really wanted to forget this day. He felt his inhibitions slip away, and a bold question surfaced into his mind.

"Hey, what are my chances with a girl like you?"

Temari started. She didn't think he would get this drunk. She quickly glanced over at his slumped form over the countertop. He was watching her, with a drunken grin plastered on an indifferent face.

She reasoned that he might be pretending to be acting under the sake's influence. That way, he could blame it on the drinks later on.

Or he could just be plain smashed. But either way, answering truthfully didn't give her any advantage.

The young chunin watched with wide eyes as the blonde reached over for a refilled sake cup, and downed the glass with one gulp. She gave him a foxy grin, but no answer.

He shot her an annoyed look. What a tease.

"H-hey… that wasn't fair… I answered all of your stu-stupid questions," he slurred, and found to his dismay that words were hard to form, with the inside of his mouth made of cotton.

Temari chuckled lightly at his indignant expression, and dropped a few heavy coins on the counter. With a light pat on his shoulder and a flirtatious wink, the Sand kunoichi began to head out the door. Shikamaru struggled out of his chair, and doggedly followed her, as he cursed her under his breath.

It must have been very late when they finally got back. Temari was grinning from ear-to-ear while Shikamaru swayed unsteadily on his feet. She led the unresisting shinobi to her room, and closed the door quietly.

_The kid cannot hold his drink,_ she thought gleefully. _Time for some revenge._

With a groan, she pushed him onto the spacious bed. He fell asleep immediately, and she sat on the edge of the mattress, and debated on a form of pay back.

_Draw on his face? Dump him outside in the streets without his clothes? Hang his boxers from the __Hokage_ _Tower?_

The blonde yawned. It was really late, and she found her eyelids too heavy to sustain. She realized ruefully that she wasn't entirely immune to sake's effects. With another lazy yawn, she laid back on the soft covers. She was reminded of the Leaf-nin's presence when he turned himself over on his back, and an idea flashed in her head.

Temari sluggishly rolled onto her side, and watched the snoring figure quietly. His sleeping profile seemed quite peaceful, the scowl that he usually wore was replaced by a slightly open mouth, and she guessed that he regularly drooled.

She poked him gently, and whispered his name.

"Hm?" He replied in his drunken stupor.

Temari decided to put a theory to practice, and proceeded to interrogate the unsuspecting chunin.

"Say, what kind of girls do you like Shikamaru?" she asked in an entrancing voice. Shikamaru snorted in his sleep, and turned towards the sound of her voice.

"Girls? Too troublesome."

"But if you had your choice, what kind of girl would you want to date?"

"Uh…I think I had it planned out already…" he muttered incomprehensibly. She quirked an eyebrow inquisitively.

_He had a scenario for that too? Jeez… _

"Someone not too pretty, nor too ugly. Not too smart, but not too dumb either. Not too strong… but not that weak…" Shikamaru trailed off lethargically.

_Huh... an average girl. He has such low standards. _

"We'll live each day quietly. Have a girl and a boy. I'll retire and play shogi all day, and hopefully I'll die before she does."

_Ok… he really did plan out his life. Pathetic. _

"Shikamaru," Temari purred, "what do you think of me then?" She was enjoying this. Immensely.

"Wha? Who's me?" he mumbled in confusion.

"Me, Temari."

"Oh, Temari? That bossy chick from Sand?"

"Yeah. What do you think of her?"

"Scary. Even more than my mother." Temari restrained herself from laughing out loud.

"Oh really?" She faked nonchalance, "So you really do not like her at all?"

"I didn't say thaaaat," he drawled out, "there's definitely something about her though. I think it's cuz she's everything I'm not. She's strong and fierce, and gets all passionate about certain things. It's common sense that I would admire someone who has all the traits I lack…" With that long speech done with Shikamaru passed out blissfully.

Temari looked at the unconscious shinobi with a trace of incredulity. Did she hear him right? He said he admired her, and back in the bar, he even asked whether or not he had a chance with her.

Her forest-green eyes softened slightly at his unorthodox confession, and she laid back down on the bed. With one last glance at his simple face slack with repose, Temari allowed her own eyelids drift close.

----------

Shikamaru found himself lying in a bed that was not his. He bolted upright, and immediately regretted it as a heavy migraine assaulted his senses.

"Ugh... what the hell happened?" he muttered as he registered the residing after-taste of sake in his mouth. He glanced about, and observed the slight rumple of sheets next to him with growing apprehension. The sun was high overhead, which told him it was almost noon. Light strains of bird song drifted in from the open window. He raised a hand to rub his eyes, and saw a paper note attached to his forefinger with a string. Bewildered, he untied it immediately and read the note.

_Good morning sleepyhead, _

_Last night was fun. I never knew you couldn't hold your alcohol._

_By the way, you should leave quickly, and perferably through the window. Who knows what my brothers might do if they caught you in my room?_

_-Temari_

His dark eyes shot open with alarm.

_Shit! Her brothers!  
_

He scrambled up, ignored his protesting head, and practically leaped out of the window. There was no way he was going to stay for a warm welcome from the psychotic Gaara or the ruthless Kankuro.

* * *

Notes: Woot! My longest chapter yet! Yea I know I'm deviating from my main characters... but since there's really no way to write about Shikamaru when they go back to Suna, I wanna milk it for all its worth! Hahahaha... bad imagery. 

I was laughing so hard when I was writing down the library scene. In case nobody noticed already, some are the books Gaara was reading are the same ones that Sai was reading in Ch 311. I even paraphrased some of the instructions. I had to write it down, plus Gaara implicitly insulting Sai is too much of a temptation to ignore.

So two of the Sand sibs had an interesting night out. Wonder what happened to Kankuro? He needs more love.  
I think this chapter is confusing in its chronology with the flashback and two stories going on at once. Heck I was getting confused with my own writing. So a breakdown:

1) Sand sibs get back from mission. Temari came back first with Shikamaru, then Kankuro, and lastly Gaara cuz he traveled the furtherest.

2) After Shikamaru brushed Temari off, she and Kankuro went to the briefing while Gaara disappeared off to find Naruto. Gaara then went to the library, and spent night there (what a loser).

3) Meanwhile, Temari talks with Kankuro over noodles and storms into her room, and finds Shikamaru outside her window. They went to a bar, got drunk, came back and a new days starts.

4) Shikamaru goes off to hospital and visits Naruto, and then goes home and gets yelled at.

Alright, with the next chapter, the Retrieval Arc should draw to a close. But before that, what is Tsunade planning?

Next Chapter:

_The Sand siblings utter no sound. Their faces are devoid of any trace of emotion, but inside, Tsunade knows that all three are seething with anger at the trap they have been coerced into._


	13. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: You know the drill

Spoilers: Actually, if you have gotten this far, there's really nothing you don't already know

* * *

**  
Spoiled Brats **

"Report."

"Orichimaru has gotten ahold of the Sharingan."

"Itachi, is that your brother?"

"Feh, don't worry. We'll eventually kill the traitor, yeah."

"If _he_ thinks he can take revenge by using an Uchiha, then he's a bigger fool than I thought."

"But we only have three years remaining. Can we all complete our missions, yeah?"

"That's right... our mission is to capture the Kyuubi, and get ahold of everything!"

---------

"This one is called Japanese Privet. It has small bunches of white flowers, and its tiny fruits are highly poisonous to men, but not to avian creatures. It's a hardy plant, which makes it a very valuable asset in the harsh Suna environment."

Neko nods with understanding, and jots down notes in her note pad. Chiyo places the dried privet branch back into its shelf, and takes out a bunch of purplish, dark berries.

"These are the fruits of Pokeweed, the young plants are harmless, but once it matures, it's leaves, berries, and roots can be used for toxins. The plant contains a protein called lectin, which effectively causes blood clots. Our ninjas use many weapons dipped with its juice to inflict fatal wounds," the poison specialist continues with the lesson as the silent girl follows her in their trek through her collections.

"And this one," Chiyo explains as she takes out a clear jar of milky white substance, "is the sap of the highly toxic Oleander, a plant that has blade-like leaves and five petal flowers. The entire plant can be burned or dried and still maintain its poison. Our poison gas is made from this plant."

Neko's pencil scribbles furiously over her notebook as the elder lectures. They continue for a few more minutes, and Chiyo calls it a day. The old, diminutive woman looks back curiously at Neko's notes and frowns.

The first few pages are neatly written calligraphy of different plants and their properties. However, the last few sheaves contain child-like stick figures and drawings. Chiyo shakes her head resignedly.

_The child is still a child after all. _

_----------_

"Gaara, the Hokage has summoned us for an impromptu meeting, will you come with us?" a sleepy Temari asks. She knows he will probably say no, but it is out of routine courtesy that she invites him.

The quiet shinobi, who is meditating on the floor in his room, opens his eyes apathetically, and considers the offer.

It's the fourth day since their arrival. Temari has not mentioned going back to their village at all since the mission. At least, none that he has heard of. Kankuro is throwing weird looks at their older sister, but he seems content to stay as long as possible. Gaara knows he himself wants to return to their village. Ever since Uzumaki disappeared from the hospital, there is no incentive to stay a moment longer in Konoha.

He has unfinished business back in Sungakure. And if going to the Hokage's office will speed up the process, then he should go as soon as possible.

"I will go." The red head stands up slowly. Temari scrutinizes him curiously, wondering to why he actually agreed to attend the conference. Gaara has always detested bureaucratic formalities.

The three Sand siblings stroll leisurely through the Leaf village. Their faces are closed to inspection, and they ignore the whispers and hushed voices that followed them. When they arrived at the Hokage Tower, they are ushered in with due promptness by guards with averted eyes.

As they enter the office, the lady behind the desk quickly raises her head, and snatches something off of the table and hides it behind her back. Temari and Kankuro seem to be oblivious, but Gaara, who saw the white ceramic sake cup, scowls with disgust. He glances at his companions and sees the two pointedly looking somewhere else.

Apparently, this is a reoccurring incident.

Tsunade clears her throat, and in a clear voice says, "I'm glad to see you guys here again. Since you're here in my office, I can assume that you have reconsidered your earlier decision of leaving immediately?"

Gaara hardly glances at Temari, but he can still detect the slight straightening of her shoulders in discomfort. He surmises that it was her that told the Hokage of a planned early departure, but during the past few days she never acted.

_Which means something… _

The youngest sibling muses over this newly discovered tidbit. Curiosity is getting the best of him again, and Gaara decides to stay silent. He has an urge to know the reason for Temari's sudden change of plans.

"If that is so, then I have a temporary job position. As you're well aware, Suna and Konoha are now military allies, and it is most beneficial for both of our villages to solidify the ink on the paper with amiable gestures."

Hearing this, Kankuro almost scoffs with impatience at the implied threat. It means while they're on Leaf's land, they should do as the busty, half-sober woman commands. Or else.

"I know it is to Suna's advantage as well as Konoha's that we impart political, economical, and social aspects of living. Of course, with the limited amount of men we have right now, all we can offer right now is to allow you an in-depth look at our Academy proceedings. Of course, I can assure you that there will be many incentives, such as authorization to share jutsu's secrets and other confidential information that outsiders are not privy to. So, what do you say?"

Temari's eyes flick to her left to momentarily to gauge her brothers' response. Kankuro looks bored out of his mind, but the fact he isn't plaintively objecting means he will not care either way. Gaara… is stoic and impossible to interpret. As usual.

Knowing she is the self-proclaimed leader of the team, and as the eldest, Temari opts for the more prudent choice: to not apply unnecessary tension on the frail relationship between Sand and Leaf and agree with the Hokage's demands.

"We have no objections and gladly consent to your request," the Sand genin replies cordially.

"It's settled then! From this day forward till the day of your departure, you three can fill in as temporary Academy instructors! The group I assigned for you is mainly consisting of eight to ten year olds, and I expect that you three will have your hands full," the fair-haired lady chuckles at her own cleverness.

The Sand siblings utter no sound. Their faces are devoid of any trace of emotion, but inside, Tsunade knows that all three are seething with anger at the trap they have been coerced into.

"I don't think that's the idea we had in mind," the hooded genin responds with a sulking look.

"Bottom line is: our village is depleted of skilled shinobis after the recent invasion. Many of the jounins and chunins who perished in battle were Academy instructors. As a result, the younger generations of ninjas are sadly in need of worthy guidance. And as shinobis of a foreign village, I'm sure exposure to a different learning environment will also be advantageous."

Kankuro who shows no outward signs of discomfort, is inwardly wincing at the words.

_Babysitting brats? Give me a break! _

"Hokage-sama, please allow us some time to reconsi-" Temari starts to protest, but is cut off by the adamant woman.

"Oh! Here is the instructor who I've notified. He'll be your superior associate as well as a friendly escort after working hours," Tsunade casually motions towards the figure entering the room.

Three heads turn towards the newcomer. Two pairs of eyes grow as large as saucers at the sight of each other. One evil smirk appears on the Hokage's face.

"You!" Temari and Shikamaru exclaim simultaneously. Gaara notes with interest as the smile on Konoha's leader grows wider.

"What are you doing here?"

"I can ask you the same thing," Shikamaru retorts, trying to regain his composure.

"I see no reasons for an introduction since you are obviously already familiar with each other. Shikamaru, I'll leave them in your capable hands," Tsunade gives him a meaningful look, "Do. Not. Disappoint. Me."

"Yes, ole' lady Tsunade."

"Do not call me old lady!" The flustered sannin glares in warning as the chunin instructor drags the three Sand siblings out of the office. Tsunade sighs in bliss at the wonderful progression of her arrangement. She is just about to reach for her hidden sake cup when her attendee enters with a light knock.

"Tsunade-sama?"

"Yes, Shizune?"

"Are you sure that was wise?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, from what I heard, that Sabaku no Gaara is a blood-thirsty demon child who killed at least six ninjas during the chunin exams. He is also the one who gave Rock Lee those ghastly wounds. I'm really uneasy over the fact that kind of person will be near the young children."

Shizune turns to observe her master's reaction. A visible vein pops from her smooth forehead at the sight of Konoha's leader snoring contentedly on her desk, obviously due to a heavy dosage of sake.

----------

"You're kidding me Temari. We gotta find a way to talk ourselves out of this," Kankuro whispers urgently to his older sister.

"Idiot, we all agreed with that drunk hag, and unless you want to nullify our alliance treaty with Leaf, we better go with it," she snaps back, irritated beyond belief. Next to her, Gaara closes his eyes with annoyance. Stupid, whining Kankuro.

Shikamaru shudders internally as he leads the three Sand-nins in the direction of the Academy. Scenarios are spinning around in his head, most of them involving brutal decapitation by Temari's fan, painful deaths due to Kankuro's fatal poisons, and gory remains left by Gaara's sand.

_They're supposed to take care of the children!? What the hell is that woman thinking?_

"We're here," Shikamaru announces with a hint of trepidation as he walks inside the Academy and head towards his own classroom. He opens the door to the class and is greeted with the usual "Good morning teacher." However, the class falls deathly quiet as their instructor steps inside and three other ninjas followed him.

Shikamaru ignores the obvious anxiety of his students, and announces in what he hopes to be a confident voice, "Starting from today, these respectable shinobis of Sand will be helping out for a few days," and he mentally crosses his fingers that it is only a temporary arrangement, "Please, give them the same amount of respect you have for me."

"Which wouldn't be much," Temari scoffs teasingly. Shikamaru refuses to frown, not wanting to give her the satisfaction of seeing him unruffled.

"I'll let you introduce yourselves."

"Hi," the blonde kunoichi forces a cheerful smile on her face, "My name is Temari. This here is my younger brothers, Kankuro and Gaara. I hope we can get along well with each other."

_Or you might not live to see another day_, she thinks to herself darkly.

----------

"I don't suppose that useless school taught you anything about defense mechanisms?" Chiyo asks the silent child sorting herbs in front of her. Neko shakes her head, her eyes acquiring a curious light.

"The defense I'm talking about is within your own mind. It's something that your sub-consciousness will initiate if there's too much mental stress. When your brain detects a threat to the safety of your psyche, it will automatically choose a defense mechanism to defend itself with."

Neko nods slowly, getting a vague idea of what her mentor is trying to convey. She carefully peels the leaves away from the green stem of a toxic plant, and sets it aside in the wicker basket.

"Now what would you think if I told you that the guys you are living with are never coming back?"

Neko blinks. She looks up with an expression of disbelief, and just a trace of alarm on her youthful features. One hand goes up to clutch at the necklace.

"Relax little one, I'm only giving you an example," Chiyo chuckles dryly, "But your reaction is a classic form of denial, a very common defense mechanism." The girl blinks again, and smiles at the pacifying words. She goes back to sorting out the dried plants.

"The reason I am telling you this is because it will serve you well to recognize when people are resorting to their defense mechanisms and exploit that. And knowing when people are on the defense will be something very useful in the future. Sometimes, other people's strange behavior will make perfect sense when you understand the workings of the unconsciousness itself."

Chiyo watches the girl's slight figure moving with unhurried ease with her menial task. Her face is peacefully relaxed, and her hands move in a trance-like motion. The old woman can safely assume that most of her words entered one ear and out the other.

_Such a simple girl, with such a complicated history._

_------------_

Seven pairs of eyes are staring at him. And he stares right on back. A perfect stalemate, with neither side budging an inch.

"A-are you our instructor?" a brave one ventures timidly. When Gaara turns his full attention on the boy, he immediately shrinks back to hide amongst his classmates.

_That reaction is normal. But somehow, that girl never has shown fear in my presence. Why is she different? _

"Yes, I am." He wonders how Kankuro and Temari are faring. Each one of them was assigned a group of kids. Shikamaru told them to teach them basic ninja techniques, and promptly went off with his group. No doubt, he will be within hearing range just in case an 'accident' happens.

Gaara lifts one hand slowly, and his mouth forms a thin line when the group of children instantly back away. He sighs, and begins, "Ninjutsu are the finesse of chakra manipulation."

The dust on the ground begins to rise, and starts to slowly spin in a circular tract.

"To be able to attack or defend using inanimate objects requires an intense level of chakra control and concentration." The particles soon form a dirt tornado as the children look on with awe.

"The average people have problem focusing their thoughts for more than one minute. I will teach you how to maintain a satisfactory level of concentration," with that said, Gaara promptly releases the tornado and sits down cross-legged on the ground. With no further prompting, his group of kids copied his movements and a little circle soon formed.

"Make sure you're comfortable with your current position. When everyone's ready, close your eyes and try to clear your thoughts." Gaara glances around, and is satisfied with the obedience that his students are giving him.

"Steady your breathing, and pace it to a count of seven. There should be nothing in your mind right now. Stay like this for half an hour." Gaara closes his own eyes, glad for some chance to rest.

However, the silence does not last long. After the first minute, one of the kids sneezes, and another one starts to breath heavily. Gaara's left eye twitches irritably. As one of the children starts to complain under his breath, and a girl figets because of the bugs, the Sand-nin stands up abruptly, unable to take it any further.

----------

Three heads snap around sharply at the sounds of high-pitched yells coming from the playground area. Temari and Kankuro immediately ditch their group as if they anticipated it, and run towards the commotion while Shikamaru calmly instructs his students to gather everyone else and run through emergency procedures, and follows the duo. However, he stops right next to the older Sand Siblings when he catches sight of Gaara's group.

A gigantic castle of glittering sand stands majestically inside a spacious sand box. Kids are crawling all over the fortress, exploring its features while shouting with glee. The group is divided up evenly with one half defending the sturdy bastion while the other attacks it. In the distance, they can see a cracked gourd with a slip of red hair, sitting in long-desired rest but still keeping an eye on his flock.

Shikamaru notices that gaping mouths of the two ninjas beside him, which only reminds him of his own astonished expression. He recovers quickly and shrugs casually.

"Looks like nothing's wrong here," the Leaf-nin turns as if nothing really happened, and goes back to retrieve his students.

Temari and Kankuro stay behind and watch the proceedings with something akin to awe. They know that Gaara knows that they are standing right there, but none of them feel the need to acknowledge the other. To do so will give this moment an existence, and the three cannot help but wonder what this will mean in their unseen future. But one thing they do know, and it is that their demon-possessed brother is changing.

"Look, his cork is still on the gourd."

"So he didn't use his own sand? But wouldn't his own sand require less chakra consumption? Unless…"

"He didn't want to. I have a good feeling that he does not want these children to come into contact with his weapon, which took their friends and relatives away. Gaara didn't want to stain their hands," Temari finishes for him. The two look on in contemplative silence as the joyous kids laugh in their play.

_Slowly, but surely, he is definitely changing._

----------

The students chatter animatedly within themselves, while the two teens watch in silence. Temari sips her cup of steaming tea slowly from her seat at the wooden bench but keeps her eyes open, especially on the silent chunin besides her. He is eating a home-made bento, and seems to be completely ignoring her presence.

It's lunch time, and the students are allowed to eat at their leisure, while their instructors are able to take a well-deserved break. However, Temari's brothers are nowhere to been seen even though their charges are mingling with the others, eating and joking around. The Sand kunoichi does not think too much of it, but instead takes advantage of her time alone with the dark-haired ninja.

"Your students are not that bad, but they all lack discipline," she remarks casually.

"Mmhmm…" Silence ensues, until she cannot help but demand, "Are you not going explain your behavior that day?"

She doesn't need to elaborate since they both know exactly what she is referring to. Shikamaru yawns in languidly and finally looks over to her side.

"That day's events do not really need any explaining, and furthermore, I really do not remember anything that occurred that night," and he mutters underneath his breath, "Although I have a good idea of what happened." He didn't spend hours racking his brain for nothing.

"Oh really? You don't remember anything of what you said that night?"

"Should there be something worth remembering?" he inquires in an uninterested tone.

Temari stares down at her tea cup, and shrugs. He notes the slight tenseness of her shoulders, and the way she is fiddling with the brim. Her being nervous makes him nervous because it means something significant transpired that night. And she will not tell him, so he'll have to fish it out.

"I remember getting drunk," he cautiously proceeds, hoping she'll fill in some blanks for him, "Did I say something weird?" At his comment, she chuckles softly, as if she's sharing an inside joke with herself. The soft peals of her laughter touches something inside of the lazy shinobi, and he isn't sure if it's a good thing.

"You can say that."

"Are you going to tell me then?"

"Nah," she stands up with her empty cup, "it's something for me to know, and you to find out."

Temari strolls away, a smile curving her rosy lips. The Leaf-nin remains sitting on his side of the bench, scowling lightly at her retreating figure, but soon returns to his half-finished lunch. Scenarios are running in his head, so he does not notice the floating eyeball enshrouded within the lush, green leaves of a nearby tree.

-----------

Gaara lets out a long-held breath, and releases his sand eye. He turns to Kankuro, who is looking at him expectantly. The two are perched on the roof of the Academy building, keeping themselves out of sight.

"There is nothing going on," the red head states dully.

"No way, why else would she want to stay in Konoha when she told me earlier that she wanted to leave as soon as possible?"

"I didn't see anything that would suggest anything," Gaara adamantly stands his ground.

"If only I could hear what they're saying…" the older sibling mumbles. The puppet master begins to mutter to himself about making a recording contraption and installing it in Karasu. Gaara gazes at him with slight derision and comments, "It wouldn't be a bad thing."

Kankuro snaps his head around, and temporarily forgetting who he's talking to, retorts, "Like hell it isn't! We're from different villages, so what happens if the Hokage declares war on us? Besides, weren't you there when that lazy ass resigned in the chunin exams? What kind of loser gives up like that? There's no way 'that kind' of a 'relationship' will ever work!"

"It sounds like you're jealous." Ever the calm and composed one.

"No! There's a difference between being jealous and just looking out for my sister!"

"Our sister," the younger coldly corrects the elder. That comment leaves Kankuro stunned for a bit, and he slowly deflates himself. Coal covered viridian closes in light introspection

"You're over-reacting. If that guy is half the loser you say he is, Temari will not choose him."

Gaara decides to leave the rooftop and get away from the silently fuming Kankuro for awhile. There is no use in arguing with him, what will happen will happen. Temari's situation is very interesting, and he wishes to observe quietly on the side with no intervention.

----------

"By the way sensei, where's Shikamaru at? Shouldn't he be celebrating with us?" The fair-haired kunoichi asks.

"Oh him? He should be teaching his class right now"

"I heard the shinobi's of Suna are leaving today. Isn't he going to see him off?" His other student inquires while impatiently glancing around for the waiter. The blonde quirks an eyebrow at his comment, and looks inquisitively at their teacher. She smells the beginning of a good gossip.

"Really? Well I'm sure he'll figure something out," the jounin replies evenly while noting the curious glint in Ino Yamanka's eyes.

A heaping plate of barbequed meat is soon placed before the plump shinobi's expectant gaze. With a quickly uttered "Itadakimasu!" he digs in, swallowing bite after bite like there is no tomorrow.

"No way, Korean barbeque for breakfast?" The middle-aged jounin grumbles resignedly as he mentally calculates the bill his pupil is racking up.

"And here I was, thinking you were good-looking when you were in the hospital. You sure rebound fast," Ino remarks helplessly as she looks at the now chubby Choji Akimichi with regret.

"If you got such an appetite, that means you're probably fully recoverd."

"After I'm done eating, you must train me more Asuma-sensei!"

"Hold on idiot! What are you trying to do, injure yourself again!" The kunoichi demands loudly as she tries to discourage Choji from digesting more cholesterol. Their teacher looks on in amusement, as the gluttonous Choji stuffs more and more meat down his throat, with Ino grappling over him, trying just as hard to take them away.

It's hard to imagine that the rotund and energetic boy in front of him almost lost his life just a few days ago. Shikamaru's haggard face and Ino's anxious one are two sights he does not ever want to see again. Asuma finds himself breathing easier (and it's not because he stopped smoking for a few days) after seeing that Choji is indeed out of danger and on the road to rehabilitation.

_Gai is right. The springtime of youth is a beautiful thing._

_----------_

"Thank you very much!" A crowd of young faces choruses. The bright Konoha morning rays shines upon the motley crew of Leaf and Sand shinobis. Three stoic figures stand straight with pride and dignity as they face the herd of Academy students. Their teacher has a blank expression of indifference, but they can all tell he is sorry to see them go.

The tall blonde with the assertive pigtails steps forward, and smiles warmly at her temporary students.

"Do your best kids!"

"Next time you guys drop by, I'll have mastered a lot of genjutsu!" The cocky kid known as Konohamaru declares confidently. His friend, a book worm with glasses, adds fervently, "M-me too!"

"I want to be a kunoichi like Temari-san!" The girl with orange hair announces with finality and a hopeful smile. Temari cannot help but grin back.

"That would be an honor."

"Sorry about this, I wanted to properly see you guys off, but I have to…" Shikamaru gestures helplessly at the cluster of eager kids.

"That's fine, I have no problems with it. Besides it was good to have a look at Konoha's future military force."

"Well take care."

"Yeah."

Gaara turns abruptly and leads the way. His companions follow right after him, but Temari stops. She cannot help but have the last word.

"If something else happens, we'll come to help. Is that alright Mr. Crybaby?"

The kunoichi throws Shikamaru a knowing look over her shoulder, and he cannot help but retort back.

"You talk too much. This is why women are so..." he trails off suggestively, and could not keep the smirk from surfacing on his face. Temari chuckles and hurries to catch up with her siblings.

He watches as their silhouettes disappear from the early dawn's horizon with a wistful pang in his chest. His students watch in silence as their instructor's eyes glazed over, and they knew that he is in another world.

"Sensei… do you like Temari-san?" a curious girl coyly asks.

Their teacher blinks. The imaginary scenario vanishes and he returns to reality. He shoots them a disapproving frown, and scoffs.

"Don't get stupid ideas in your tiny heads. Field trip's over, we're going back and starting on today's lessons."

Various groans and a disapproving clamor rise out of the students. The girl who posed the question whispers to her friend, "See, I told you, he really does like her!"

* * *

Notes: Ok, I lied, I ripped off more dialogue from Dattebayo... I'm a bad person. I'm really not sure if Deidara says 'yeah' or 'un' alot. I see both used multiple times in fanfics... so I really don't know.  
The plants are real, I did some research on Wikipedia. The defense mechanism stuff is from my own knowledge from a psych class, and more Wikipedia. Man, that website is like my second home. 

Some subtle references: Kankuro protesting against babysitting since he hates brats. Asuma stops smoking when he worries. Tsunade and her alcoholic tendencies.

Ok ppl are probably tired of the Retrieval Arc... and I admit, I could've cut some stuff out and made it shorter... but oh well.

College apps and school is taking a big chunk of my time. Plus, I'm not moody as I was last year, which means less motivation to write because that's what I treat writing as: an outlet. So... I'm probably not gonna make the update next month, sorry!

Next Chapter:

_With fierce determination, Neko springs forward. She pierces through the thin wall of sand that rose up automatically with ease, and draws back her right hand. She turns sideways slightly, and then swings with all of her might at his lower jaw._


	14. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Do not own Naruto. Ninjas are too fiesty for my tastes.

Spoilers: None

**

* * *

**

**Reappearance**

_There are many methods of dispelling malevolent spirits. One of the most commonly used methods is sealing the spirit into an inanimate object. A high level jutsu user utilizes a massive amount of chakra to entrap the spirit and drag its incorporeal body into an item of choice. The main purpose is to compress the malevolent being into a tiny matter of space to facilitate control. Once the sealing ritual is complete, the spirit may still be fully conscious within its container, but its powers and abilities will be extremely weakened. Moreover, there are cases when the spirit can be controlled by the jutsu user by manipulating the container. Be forewarned that powerful entities will not be permanently imprisoned for long, and that a conscious spirit will eventually eat away at the seal until the jutsu is broken. _

_-"Advanced Jutsu Techniques" from the Konoha Library_

_---------------_

The hot, arid desert assaults the three with its sweltering heat. Spring is on its dying breath, and the dry months of summer are promising its entrance. The unforgiving sand tears and rips at their clothing, but does not invade the sanctity of their vulnerable eyes, or the crevices of their mouths and noses. Gaara has seen to that.

Within the undulating air, the hidden village of the Sand slowly materializes before their weary eyes. The high, imposing limestone gate appears like a mother with open arms, and like long-lost children, the siblings eagerly make their way back home.

They've only been gone for two weeks. Yet dust and sand still managed to creep inside the crevices, and Temari cannot help but sneeze upon entering their house. She immediately heads over towards the cupboards and the fridge, checking to see which food she has to throw out. Kankuro shoulders his puppets, grabs Temari's fan, and clunks his way to their rooms.

Gaara stands in the doorway by himself, not sure of what he wants right now. His throat is parched, but he does not want water. His feet are tired, but he cannot rest. There's this unreachable itch in the back of his mind, telling him that there's something he needs to do.

_But what?_

He closes his eyes in irritation, but opens them when he hears Temari calling him.

"Gaara, I think Neko is out somewhere. Do you want to go find her and bring her back?"

She uses the words 'do you want' and not 'can you' for a not-so-obscure reason. It pricks him somehow, but he shrugs it off.

There's been a few too many pricks in his life. One more shouldn't hurt. Nothing ever does.

"Yeah," he grunts in affirmation, and walks out in the blinding desert sun.

He finds himself walking too fast. His eyes scour his surroundings a bit too thoroughly. Gaara pauses, and glances up at the sky. Late noon. School should be out.

With a faint idea in mind, he heads towards the training grounds. Not surprisingly, he sees a lone figure training by herself. He watches for a few minutes, and an incident back in Konoha surfaces in his mind.

-----------

_A gawky kid of seven or eight patrolled the walkway above the entrance gate of Gaara's sand castle. He leaned recklessly over the edge, and another rushing kid bumped against him accidentally. The child's pain-filled cry alerted him to the situation, and by the time Gaara reached him, all of his students have already surrounded him in a thick circle._

_"Um… Sensei… he fell," one ventured._

_The kid was trying hard to appear brave, but anyone could see the tears of pain that clouded his eyes. His friend, who was the same one who caused his fall, stood over him. The wounded party was glaring at the offender in a resentful manner._

_"Shiro-chan, I'm sorry, are you mad at me?" the words fumbled their way out of his mouth, but it surprised his friend and the angry glower was replaced with a light grimace._

_"No, you're still my friend," the kid managed through gritted teeth, "After all, I was the one being careless." His friend offered him a hand which Shiro gladly took it, and pulled himself up._

_"I'll help you get over to the hospital, may I Sensei?"_

_Gaara nodded quietly, and watched as the two made their way out of the yard. He noticed the way the boy's demeanor changed in an instant. With only a few words from his friend, his anger vanished, to be replaced with a friendliness that the Sand-nin is unused to see in a person that was in so much pain._

----------

"Let me see what you can do."

Neko turns around in surprise. Gaara is standing right behind her, with his trademark gourd on his back and his arms crossed in front. Without further explanation, he sinks into a defensive stance and beckons for her to take the first shot.

She gazes at him for a few moments. Her marine eyes swirls with confusion, but a burning resolve soon replaces her hesitation.

She will prove to him her worth. That she is not some helpless child that needs constant rescuing. That he did not have to do what he did that day. And maybe… just maybe, he'll admit his wrong and they can go back to how they were before.

With fierce determination, Neko springs forward. She pierces through the thin wall of sand that rose up automatically with ease, and draws back her right hand. She turns sideways slightly, and then swings with all of her might at his lower jaw.

Not surprisingly, he blocks her fist easily with one hand. She expected that.

Quickly as to not lose her momentum, she aims her left knee at the unguarded spot at his side.

With inhuman speed, Gaara's other arm comes up and blocks her sneak attack. Her eyes narrow.

_He's fast._

Neko twists her body, and uses Gaara's stationary body to push herself off. She tucks her knees to her chest, performs a neat flip midair, and lands solidly on her feet a few meters away.

She notes his amused smirk with frustration. He isn't even worried.

Blue eyes flashing with fury, the young girl launches herself at the red head once more. She throws out a furious array of punches and sneaks in a few kicks for good measure.

It is no use. Despite the flurries of attacks, Gaara is able to deflect each one of them.

Neko sinks to the ground, on her knees and gasping for breath. He silently stands over her, waiting for her next assault.

"Get up."

Her muscles straining in effort, she slowly gets to her feet. Knowing that this might be her last chance, Neko concentrates all of her energy in her next attack. Panting with exertion, the slight girl shoots forward. She feints a left jab, drops to the ground, and swipes her right leg to knock him over. Amazingly, her foot passes through sand. Jumping up, Neko swings her right arm at where she detects his chakra presence. Gaara blocks with his left hand and grabs her arm. He pulls her forward, and lands a solid hit to her stomach with his right.

Neko gasps in pain. She feels her whole body going limp and begins to fall forward. Firm hand catches her mid-descent, and she looks up tiredly at an unyielding green gaze.

Her heavy eyelids close in exhaustion and defeat, and just before she loses consciousness, a low voice reaches her ears.

"I'm...sorry."

----------

He dumps her unceremoniously on her small bed. Her jet black hair flops over her face and her skinny limbs sprawls awkwardly over the covered mattress. Gaara makes no more move to touch her. He notes her grim-covered face, and sweaty skin with distaste. Her dark tan and calloused hands do not escape his attention either.

_It's obvious she's been training a long time, but for what?_

His mind thought of many different possibilities. She reminds him of Uzumaki Naruto. The same foolish determination, naïve faith in herself as well as others. It is very possible that she seeks to become stronger so that she can protect those that she cares about.

_But who?_

Gaara doesn't know whether he should be admiring her for her hard-headedness, or scoff at it. He finally settles on quietly mumbling, "Pathetic," and leaves the small room with a slight smirk on his face.

Neko, who is wide-awake, relaxes as the door closes. She allows a few teardrops of shame and sadness wet her pillow from her closed eyelids. She has failed again. The fatigued girl perceives herself to be in her own room, which means that the siblings are finally back. Those weeks passed by tediously slow, and she thought she would be immensely overjoyed to see them again. But after that dreadful fight, she cannot even get her muscles to move to welcome them back.

_This is a disaster._

Her mind wanders back to the impromptu fight, and she chews her bottom lip contemplatively as she remembers what happened right before she passed out. Good thing he didn't decide to punch her head, or else she might doubt the validity of her memory.

_Did he actually… apologize?_

And a just a few seconds ago, when he uttered that hateful word, is it her imagination or was his tone softer than usual? The lines of her mouth grow thinner as the implications sink in.

_So full of contradictions. Never going to figure him out._

_------------_

Temari watches Gaara cautiously as he enters the living room with a smirk on his face. In the past, whenever he smiled, it usually meant he had just killed someone. And he just came from the direction of Neko's room.

"Uh… Gaara? Is everything alright with Neko?"

Hard teal meets her questioning jade gaze, and Gaara sinks back into his emotionless mask. He gives her a curt nod.

Temari returns with a tentative smile, which he knows is not actually meant for him. It's for _her_.

"I'm glad you two are getting along."

He looks at her balefully. Temari is already turned around, and is checking the cupboards for edibles.

_She does not understand anything._

"You seemed eager to leave Konoha, so I'm assuming it's because you were worried about her?"

Gaara starts. He fixates his glare at the space in between Temari's shoulder blades, hoping to burn a hole there.

_She's talking too much._

Temari can feel Gaara's murderous aura surge upwards as she uttered the words. She forces herself not to flinch, and takes out another pack of dry food from the cupboard. The kunoichi acts nonchalantly, a difficult thing with her possessed brother glaring daggers at her back, and his sand swirling restlessly around their feet.

"Regardless of what you think, I think Neko has grown attached to you too. I hope you two treat each other well," she pauses and gathers her courage for the words she really wants to say, "Gaara, no matter what happens, we'll be right there besides you."

She does not turn around, apprehensive of what his reaction might be. Her ears pick up the rustling of sand, and she can feel the particles gathering around her in the air. Temari closes her eyes.

_Well, I guess that's it. He's going to kill me._

When seconds passed by with no sound, Temari peers from under her lashes cautiously only to see hands of sand grab the food item in her hand, along with all the packaged goods on the table. She slowly turns around and sees Gaara already walking away with a box of cereal in his arms. Before he left the room, his quiet voice reaches her ears.

"Thank you."

----------

She is having that nightmare again. A hound of the shadows is constantly chasing her, and when it finally catches her, bites open the soft skin under her chin and tears out her throat. Her limp body is left on the empty ground. Her lifeblood gushes from the fatal wound, and blends in with the darkness.

Until there is nothing left.

Neko shoots up from her bed, her breaths coming in short and irregular. The nightmare resurfaces in her mind in crystal clear details. She covers her face and tries to smother her sobs of distress. She doesn't want to disturb the house's inhabitants, especially Temari. There were too many times when her crying kept the older girl up all night, who tried to comfort her with little success.

The tears run in thick streams along her cheeks and drip silently from her hand. The slight girl doesn't know why she keeps crying, or why a nightmare scares her so much. All she can do is try to keep it under control. She doesn't want to be a nuisance.

Suddenly, a warm hand brushes the tears from her cheek. Neko stiffens in shock, but then leans into the touch. It seems Temari did hear her, so it was pointless to stifle her weeping. Neko's trembling fingers goes up to clutch at the comforting hand. It is a physical anchor, holding her steady as she struggles with her inner fears. Gradually her convulsions dissipated, and the tears dried.

Temari is unusually silent, Neko notes. She would ordinarily try to break the silence with comforting words. But tonight, the consoling presence does not make a single sound. The girl tries to peer into the older ninja's face, but the darkness of the room, in addition with her tear-blurred eyes, makes it impossible to discern any visible features. Neko feels strangely at peace for once, and without much fuss, obediently crawls back under the covers. She feels the same hand gently stroke her forehead, and she closes her eyes in slumber.

Gaara removes the sand that was covering the sole window in the room, letting the pale moonlight stream in. His blank gaze watches Neko's sleeping form with veiled interest.

He had heard her muffled sobs earlier, and out of curiosity, ventured into the room through the open window.

Her sparkling tears fascinated him.

She, who always smile and put on a cheerful face for everyone during the day, is plagued by nightmares at night. Who would have thought she is hiding behind such a facade. An act that fooled even him, but now he knows what goes on behind the curtains.

Her pain captivated him.

It isn't t right for someone to be that... happy all the time. He saw that she is indeed imperfect and is able to hurt. Just like him.

Her fear… that angered him.

For how can she not be scared of him, the demon container who once destroyed countless lives, but is terrified of some figment of the mind? A mere dream?

Not like he ever dreamed. It is a vague concept very unfamiliar to him.

His old self would have relished her moment of weakness, but all he felt at that moment was discomfort. It bothered him to see her suffer.

He reached out to catch one of her shimmering teardrops, only to regret his action as her hands enclosed on his wrist. Gaara resisted the initial urge to snatch his hand away, and instead patiently waited for her to release him. He knew the darkness shrouded his features, so there was no fear of him being discovered. He doesn't mind her touching him anymore, Shukaku be damned.

When she finally decided to go back to sleep, he drew the covers up to her chin and softly grazed the back of his fingers against her forehead. He assured himself that it was what Temari would have done, and it was imperative for the girl to believe that he was the older sibling.

For his own sake.

----------

The pale sand dunes lie in quiet slumber under the cool watch of the full moon. Like an ashen beacon for the sleepless, the round face of the moon shines its light, illuminating the dark night sky. Her rays alight upon a splash of russet, a crimson stain upon the bleached desert.

Gaara breathes in the brisk night air and counts to seven. It's been a while since he has time alone. One tumultuous month passed by with so many unexpected results. He really needs this time to sort things out. He breathes out.

The new arrival in the household has caused many disturbances in his stable lifestyle. No longer can he foresee how the day will end, and his life has only retained predictability in being unpredictable.

The girl is changing things. She changed Temari and Kankuro. His sister laughed often, and too many times he caught her looking at him with a very uncharacteristic, motherly look. Kankuro too, he was the one that approached him at that time in Konoha when they spied on Temari. Just minutes before, his older brother threw him a blanket, and stalked away mumbling about the "cold night air" when there's clearly no need since nights are only slightly chilly because of summer's proximity.

Hell, she might have even changed him. For why would he accept Kankuro's awkward gesture of affection so easily? And why would he thank Temari for her words when he could have just ignored her?

The left hand lying in repose on his lap suddenly twitches. A moving chakra flow approaches him from behind, but Gaara does not turn. He recognizes the distinct quality of that particular signature.

A detached feeling. Like hanging between the borders of consciousness and sleep. Or maybe death.

_What is she doing here? _

Shukaku is raving in his head. The demon's screeching grates on his nerves, and it is all he can do in trying not move. Gaara turns his face towards the full moon, as if blaming the celestial body of his infliction. The tightly-knit control he has is slipping.

The raven-haired girl circles Gaara curiously. Without hesitation, she kneels down in front of him, and looks at his shut eyes and grimacing features with worry.

Seeping. Just seeping away.

Not knowing of the internal battle waging before her, Neko reaches out with a tentative hand. She pauses right before touching his shoulder.

Gone.

Bloodshot green snaps open. Neko starts, and pulls away. A rough hand seizes her wrist. When she looks up, his bloodless lips pull back in a smirk of pure blood-lust. The voice that emits from his mouth is not of Gaara's.

**"Well, long time no see… Two-Tails."**

The slight girl blinks in surprise and confusion. She struggles in the iron-clad grip, but to no avail. The high-pitched voice of the tanuki demon cackles as the other hand goes up to grab her chin. He pulls her to his eye-level and glares at her with his star-shaped pupils.

**"Who would have guessed that the great Nekomata would be reduced to such a pitiful state? Such a weak and easy prey…"** The possessed Gaara sneers. The hand, now transformed into a claw of clumped sand, moves down to clasp her slender neck. As he begins to strangle the unfortunate girl, a claw brushes against the chain that is attached to the locket.

Neko closes her eyes, certain of impending doom. She feels a strange sensation in the middle of her chest, like a dam threatening to burst. She stiffens, not fighting the demonic hold, and one hand goes up to grasp the locket.

Her lucky charm. The one link between her and her muddled past.

Her protection.

Shukaku is giggling ecstatically, certain of his triumph. He stops mid-laugh as the girl reopens her eyes.

Molten amber glares back.

He snatches his hand back as if burned. He curls back his upper lip and a cross between a hiss and growl escapes from his bared teeth.

She doesn't open her mouth. There is no movement of her lips, but there is definitely a voice. One that is arctic as winter and promising of pain.

_**Do not lose your place One-Tail, unless you desire a reoccurrence of decades ago.** _

The tanuki demon recoils slightly, his eyes never leaving the tawny gold of the reawakened demon cat. The full moon outlines her lithe figure, and the desert wind whips her dark locks across her face.

_**If you dare lay a hand on my host, you will regret it. Do not interfere with my plans.** _

She taps one finger on Shukaku's cheek and smiles: a threat of razor-sharp fangs.

_**Why do you hesitate? Go retreat back into this child's consciousness and let me have a word with him.** _

**"I'll give you this round, but next time, I'll definitely come out on top,"** even as the words left his mouth, Gaara's eyes revert back into his pale teal, and he surveys the changed girl in front of him.

She looks like Neko. She smells like her. But something is different. The calm sea-blue is replaced with fierce amber, and her eyes are half-closed in almond slits. The straight set of her shoulders, her bold aura, and the unnerving way she is staring at him, like a predator to a prey, are proof this is not the girl he knows.

_But do I actually know her at all? _

_**Greetings, Sabaku no Gaara…** _

He stares back, shocked that she is speaking with no movement of her mouth. He glances down at the silver locket hanging right below her throat which glimmers in the pale moonlight.

_**Yes… I am the Nekomata who resides within this necklace. Do not worry, I mean you no harm, for we are on the same side this time. Look after my host, and remember this: Betrayals might be hard to forgive, but you might not be able to forgive yourself. Farewell Sabaku no Gaara… and hope that you shall not have to see me again.** _

She closes her eyes, and Gaara can feel the immense chakra swell dissipate almost instantaneously.

Neko slumps from her kneeling position and falls into Gaara's lap. Feeling a sense of déjà vu, the shinobi examines the unconscious girl for any injuries, and when he's satisfied she did not come into harm from his carelessness, he moves her into a more comfortable position on the sand. He takes the heavy blanket Kankuro offered him, and throws it over her sleeping form.

He will worry about how to explain her disappearance to his siblings later, but right now he has more things to contemplate on.

* * *

Notes: It's been a while hasn't it? Yea... there's nothing so heart-warming as a light skirmish as a welcome back, ne? Gaara should learn to apoligize the 'normal' way, but hey, this makes a good read. Haha.. I just realized.. Gaara said 'sorry' and 'thank you' in the same chapter... it's a miracle! O.O 

I didn't think he would be meeting Nekomata this soon, but I find my chapters to be really lacking in the drama department these days. And the plot need to thicken... or else people are gonna lose interest before I get to the good part. And believe me, there's are some really heavy chapters coming up. Just not now, lol.

_Next chapter preview:  
A loud explosion cuts her off mid-sentence. Both shinobis whip their head in the direction of the source.  
The living room!  
They dash out of their chairs. Black smoke meets them as they enter the room, __enshrouding everything in thick fumes._


	15. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Do not own Naruto

Spoiler: None

* * *

**Friend**

_She is down on all fours, beckoning silently towards the small creature. The bird pecks at some invisible specks on the ground, and hops further away. She inches forward slightly, following it. The girl tentatively, almost as if she's the frightened one, reaches out with a hand. _

_The avian creature looks up, startled. It cocks its feathered head, and eyes the crouching human with a critical eye. The child, with an unnatural persistence and patience, stays still._

_With a disdainful flap of wings, the tiny sparrow flies away, taking the hope of a lonely girl with it._

--

It is nearing the ending of the Fifth Moon, and summer is never as evident as now. The air has a heavy, stifling feel, and clothes are clinging uncomfortably to sweaty skin.

The entire household's inhabitants are gathered in the cramped living quarters, taking advantage of the home-made air-cooling system while trying not to agitate the already frayed nerves of each other.

Kankuro is meticulously taking apart his puppets, cleaning and oiling the separate parts before putting them back together again. Neko sits nearby, curiously watching the older shinobi perform the task like a daily ritual. She pokes around, only to earn a light reprimand from Kankuro about not touching the delicate instruments.

Temari is fanning herself in the other room. The humid weather is making her listless, and even the ice-cold glass of water is not helping her defeat the heat. She is wearing a light summer yukata, like everyone else because any other attire would strangle the breath out of them.

Well… everyone except for Gaara.

He sits across from her, sipping quietly at the iced tea in his hand. He wears his usual outfit: full-sleeved robe with loose pants that reach all the way to his ankles. His outfit must be uncomfortably warm, yet he shows no visible discomfort.

His sand gourd sits like a looming sentinel nearby. She will never get used to the disturbing sensation of being near that instrument of death. The hairs on the nape of her neck always stand on its end whenever that _thing_ is in close proximity.

"Hey Gaara, I hear from Bak-sensi that you're improving a lot. That's good to hear."

"…. Yeah."

From the way his head is angled, Temari can tell he is keeping one ear on the two in the adjacent room. His gaze is directed at the table leg, but the way his eyes are unfocused hints the older sibling of his inattentiveness.

"Do you like the tea I made?"

"… Yeah."

"Like the new thing I did with my hair?"

"… Yeah."

"Can I shave your head?"

Gaara's eyes slowly refocus, and he looks up at Temari, his brow creasing slightly in admonishment.

"Temari, just because my eyes are not directed at you does not mean I am not paying attention."

She chuckles lightly. It was worth a try.

"Well now that I have your full attention, I need to talk to you ab-" A loud explosion cuts her off mid-sentence. Both shinobis whip their head in the direction of the source.

The living room!

They dash out of their chairs. Black smoke meets them as they enter the room, enshrouding everything in thick fumes. Without hesitation, Temari takes out her giant fan and proceeds to clear the room.  
Two black lumps with two pairs of eyes greet the two shinobis. From the cursing and agitated movement, Temari surmises the bigger, stockier one is Kankuro. The other form is none other than Neko. Both of them are completely covered in black soot, with the whites of their eyes blinking in comical contrast. The two look hilarious, one making exaggerated gestures of frustration, and the other one still recovering from the shock, blinking silently.

"… and this is why I don't let people near my puppets!" Kankuro bellows out.  
Temari breathes a sigh of relief. At least none of them are hurt.

Her sharp ears pick up rough sounds behind her. She turns and looks at Gaara who is covering his mouth and making rasping, coarse noises. Like sandpaper grating into wood.

_Is he coughing?_

"Gaara are you-" The red head regains his composure instantaneously.

"I'm fine."

Temari cocks a quizzical eyebrow at him. However, she is soon distracted by a tiny black form throwing herself all over her. The blonde kunoichi cannot help but chuckle at Neko's bizarre appearance.

The silent girl quickly lifts a finger and scribbles black soot all over Temari's face.

"Hey! Stop that!" Her amused tone belies her reproof, and Temari finds herself laughing at the filthy twosome despite of herself.

Again, she hears the same rasping cough behind her. She glances around.

_The smoke is all cleared away… Why is he…?_

Temari scrutinizes Gaara. His hand is covering his mouth, but she still sees the upturned corners of the mouth, and the slight crinkle around his coal-rimmed eyes.

"Are you… laughing?" she whispers almost reverently.

_Who would have thought that grating, hoarse sound is actually Gaara's laughter?_

Kankuro realizes it immediately afterwards. He stops mid sentence and just stares. Utterly speechless.

Gaara never laughs. Never.

Once he notices the room is completely silent except for his own laughter, the youngest sibling stops. He clears his throat nonchalantly and surveys the room critically.

"I see there's no real cause for alarm here. I'll be in my room," he walks away briskly, ignoring the muffled chuckles from his older siblings.

"Did ya see that?"

"More like heard it!"

Neko looks back and forth between Temari and Kankuro, both of whom can barely contain themselves. They clasp their hands together and almost dance around.

The quiet girl sees this and smiles to herself wordlessly.

--

The stoic Jinchuriki meditates by himself on the rooftop. The incident a few weeks back remains in the back of his mind constantly. Neko's drastic transformation that night unnerves him. More than he's willing to admit. The chakra presence he felt was overwhelmingly powerful; a more than equal match to Shukaku's.

_What did she mean by "the same side this time?" And what is this about betrayal and forgiveness? Now that I finally know what her source of power is, there seems to be less and less options available to me. _

He can see that the girl can be a security issue now. If word gets out that there's another Jinchuriki in Suna, it will not be pretty. The Council will be in an uproar, arguing amongst themselves whether to quarantine her or to utilize her abilities. She can both be a powerful weapon, or a major liability. There is no question that he will have to keep tabs on her to prevent that from happening.

Trouble is, it will be hard to watch her all the time. Now that she is enrolled in the Academy, sooner or later, a difficult ordeal will prompt her to release her powers. Like a ticking time bomb, it is only a matter of time before everyone finds out. Just like that time when his siblings found out about her capable of deflecting his sand, what will Temari and Kankuro say when they find out she's also a demon-possessed child? Or maybe… they already have?

Gaara's brow furrows as he contemplates this new idea. Temari is no idiot. She wouldn't be so willing to let any random child stay with them. She is not the sentimental type. And there's always Kankuro, who is distrustful of everyone and conceals his face from others behind that ridiculous makeup. But the child being a Jinchuriki does not explain why his siblings would take her in. And get so close to her so effortlessly.

_Is that why they took to her so easily? Because she shares my burden? Because she reminds them of me?_

Gaara scoffs underneath his breath. If his siblings choose to lavish their affections on the girl to atone for their lack of warmth with him, then they are more pathetic then he thought. But, he concedes grudgingly, a part of him wants to receive that affection, have always does, but at the state he is in right now, there's no way he can accept it. He's emotionally unstable and unready. Until he finally reconciles with himself, he'll have to be content watching Neko take his place in his siblings' hearts.

--

"As you all know, Tanabata is coming up next week. The Academy will be closed that day and there will be no school that day. To prepare for the celebration, we will read and learn more about the history of this holiday, and we'll even write some poetry by the end of the week."

Various groans arise out of the students at the teacher's announcement. Leave it to sensei to get all into it. The teacher, a young kunoichi in her late teens, flips open a book enthusiastically and begins to read a passage.

"Many, many years ago, a young man by the name Mikeran discovered a beautiful goddess bathing. He fell in love immediately, and knowing how a goddess cannot fly back to the heavens without her magical robe, he took the robe that was sitting on a nearby rock, and hid it inside the roof of his house. Presently, the goddess stopped by his house and asked "Have you seen my robe? I need to find it if I want to go home."

Mikeran told her he would help her find it, but instead the two fell in love. The goddess soon married the young man, and bore him children. They lived happily together, but the goddess never forgot her celestial home and always grew sad when the stars shone brightly in the sky.

One day, when Mikeran was out in the fields with the children, the goddess discovered a shiny patch on the edge of the roof. Pulling on the object, she uncovered her long-lost garment. At that moment, her husband returned, and upon seeing the robe in her hand, he fell to his knees and begged for forgiveness. Torn between her family on Earth and her family in the heavens, the goddess voiced her condition: Once Mikeran weaves one thousand straw shoes, and proves the depth of his love, she will return. Without another word, the goddess disappeared into the sky. Nobody would be able to finish that many straw shoes in his lifetime, and so Mikeran died without ever seeing his beloved goddess again.

But on the seventh day of the seventh moon, the stars Vega and Altair intersect once in the whole year. Some say it is the spirits of Mikeran and the goddess Tanabata, reunited for one blissful day. And that my students, is why we celebrate Tanabata."

There are wistful sighs from the girls after hearing the story. The boys in the room just rolled their eyes and complain about the wishy washy females.

Neko listens to the legend with rapt attention. There is something tragic about the separated lovers, something poignant in the fact they only meet once a year that touches her. She wonders if she'll ever have the strength to cope with that fate if that ever happens to her.

"Now I want everyone to get out a clean sheet of paper. We will now compose our own poetry (use only paintbrushes please), and if your parents let you, you can burn the paper on Tanabata and maybe the spirits will answer your wish."

The girls quickly take out sheets and writing tools, whist the boys grumble and reluctantly follow suit. There are many giggles, sighs, and furtive glances as some girls write about their crushes.

Neko, who sits by herself in a back corner, dips her brush carefully into the ink well. She has an urge to start drawing on the blank parchment, but that won't be good. The only reason she excels at calligraphy is because she pretends the characters are miniature pictures, each telling a story.

With no specific idea in mind, Neko lets the brush dictate the course, and she falls into a dream-like state. Black ink flows smoothly over the absorbent paper, and she reads her finished work quietly to herself.

**Spring rains Summer blooms,**

**Winter blows hard but it's Fall**

**That brings the full moon.**

Cerulean orbs gaze down quizzically at the drying ink. The two last words stand out amongst the others. If each word is a picture with a tale behind it, then the last two characters seem to contain an epic story.

The bell rings and pulls Neko out of her fanciful musings.

--

The day she waits for finally arrives. Throngs of people clothed in light yukatas stroll within the streets. Buildings are decorated with bright lanterns, and colorful streamers playfully wave at the passer-bys below them. Strains of music can be heard from various stores and the general atmosphere is of festivity.

The Sand siblings with Neko in tow mingle with the crowd. Or at least they triy to. It's really not surprising that an invisible barrier is present between the villagers and the intimidating group.

Neko, obliviously ignorant of the wary stares and stiff shoulders of the people around her, walks with a light and cheerful gait. She occasionally stays by Temari's side, but when the whim strikes her, she flits to the side and joins Gaara.

The group of shinobis has only one destination in mind: the plateau fire. Even though it is traditional for people to make a boat and watch their candlelit wishes float down the stream, and tie their wishes onto bamboo the inhabitants of Suna cannot due to their geographic location. Instead, wishers put their words on paper and they burn them all together at a great big bonfire set up in a flat mesa located north of the village.

There is a small crowd around the towering bonfire. The orange and crimson flames lick up the mountain of firewood, and reach up high into the midnight sky. The villagers that are gathered around all have solemn faces. Most of them are missing their deceased relatives. It is not uncommon to see the names of dead family members on the slips of paper. Although writing down the name of a loved one is not a wish, it is a show of remembrance.

The Sand siblings each had a slip of paper partially crushed in a death grip. The names on two of the papers have been the same through out the years. It was the third slip that had a new name.

A mother. An uncle. And now... a father.

Neko seems to realize the sobriety of the siblings as they draw nearer to the bonfire, and she slowly places her hand in Temari's.

The silence up on the mesa seems to be a painful contrast to the boisterous festivities back in Suna. Faces lit with the warm glow of the fire seem sober and mournful. Wrinkles made in worry and grief grew more prominent in the flickering light, and countenances acquire a sallow look.

A short girl reaches the fire about the same time the Sand siblings do. She has short-cropped brown hair and eyes of solid ink. Her small hands grip a parchment tightly, as if her life is depended on that flimsy piece of paper.

Neko follows her movements with intent curiosity.

Matsuri edges closer to the grand bonfire with hesitant steps. She slowly lifts her hand, and the edge of her paper catches on fire. Suddenly, Neko's arm shoots out and grabs the girl's arm. Matsuri, caught off surprise, falls back into Neko's waiting arms.

"… What are you doing?"

"Neko?" Temari rushes over to the silent girl. Neko only stares at the girl with an intensity that precedes her age. Never taking her eyes off of the trembling girl, Neko writes on the ground with a finger.

**Why are you trying to kill yourself?**

The girl gasps. She looks at Neko silently standing in front of her, and then her glance shifts to the older blonde kunochi.

"What are... you talking about?"

**I saw your eyes. Your face. They all tell me the truth. You were about to give up on your life and walk into the fire. **

The girl's jet black eyes widen perceptibly. Temari does not even need to question any further when she saw the truth written plaintively in girl's eyes.

"State your name," she orders quietly.

"M-Matsuri, ma'am."

"Like Neko said, why would you do that Matsuri? Think of the pain you would bring to your family..."

Matsuri closes her eyes painfully.

"My parents... were murdered." Temari says nothing. The deaths of parents, of loved ones, or teammates and brethen are all too common in the life of a ninja. It is a fact of life.

Neko, with acceptance shining through her blue eyes, slowly wraps her skinny arms around the girl's shoulder. Matsuri cannot help herself but close her eyes and let a few tears fall. It's been very tiring bearing the burden by herself. She has only met this mysterious stranger for the first time, but it feels like home in Neko's embrace.

All of this transpired before Gaara's watchful gaze. His attention, as his older brother slyly notes, is almost completely on Neko the entire time.

"It's amazing how she can offer comfort despite her own situation," Kankuro lightly comments.

Gaara does not reply. His alert green eyes glance over at his older sibling and then quickly focus in on the approaching figure behind him. Their teacher, Baki, is walking through the crowd of people in long, purposeful strides.

"Gaara. Kankuro. I'm sorry to interrupt you at this moment, but there is something of great importance the Council needs to discuss. You three are all needed at the office."

"We will head over there immediately Baki-sensei," Kankuro replies while making pointed eye contact with Temari. The kunoichi quickly whispers words of apology to her young charge and heads in their direction.

"What about…her?" Kankuro gestures to Neko with his head.

Gaara, who is already turning back from the fire, where he left three slips of paper curling in the flames, answers tersely, "She can stay or follow. It does not matter, we need to get to the meeting as quickly as possible."

"But… Gaara-"

"Temari." His voice drops to a deadly note, and she does not argue anymore. The three follow quickly behind Baki-sensei without looking back.

Neko glances up at their departure. Torn between staying and following, her mouth forms an uncharacteristic frown, and she looks back at her new-found friend.

"It's alright. I'm fine now," Matsuri braves a smile at her, "Go with them. I'm sure we will meet again."

The silent girl beams back her in gratitude. Without a sound, she leaps onto her feet and sprints off in the direction the siblings left. The crowd at the fire watches her go, and cannot help but wonder who that girl is.

--

"Our scouts in the eastern border have sighted and are now engaging in battle with hostiles. They have sent urgent request for back-up. Unfortunately, they have not described the nature of the attack or the enemy so we cannot provide any more information." The withered Council member's dry voice barely carried itself across the meeting room. The entire Council was there, frail-looking old men who are likely to be swept away by the harsh desert wind if left to themselves, and they sat behind a U-shaped table. Baki stationed himself at the door, while the three Sand siblings stood in front.

"It is imperative that this team make haste to the eastern border and defeat the enemy. In the case of defeat, you are all to retreat at once and report back on the opposition. Is that clear?"

The team of three nod. Kankuro and Temari turn simultaneously to head out the door. Gaara's emotionless voice stops them.

"I have a request."

Tension suddenly rises in the room. It is rare that Gaara ever speaks to the Council, let along requests something. Knowing that their lives are forfeit if they deny the request, the spokesman can only reply calmly, "State it then."

"I believe a two-person team is enough for this mission. It will be quicker to travel, less conspicuous, and in the case of failure, there will at least be another to help defend the village. Kankuro and I will go."

His deadpan voice leaves no room for argument. Perturbed glances meet each other across the table. The two older siblings both give him scrutinizing looks, but nobody says a word.

"Granted. May the winds bring you a safe return."

Gaara briskly walks past the stunned Temari and Kankuro and into the hallway. Not surprisingly, she is already there, waiting for him. He is careful not to come into contact with her as he walks by. It was all for naught though, as her quick hands dart out to grab his robes. Gaara turns his head slightly, barely sparing her a glance. But he does not wrench himself from her hold.

Neko, with her worried eyes, plead with him not to go.

"You insult my abilities with your concern," he quietly mutters. She lets go of him, a frown still marring her young face.

"Temari will be here. And Kankuro will come back. In one piece." He says the last part with a ghost of a smile.

He does not need to include himself. That part is a given.

Neko understood this, and smiles back in return. She watches him disappear in a whirl of sand, and savors his promise of a safe return

* * *

Notes: ARgh!! So sorry!!  
First off, I had this chapter done, but I didn't publish it, and left it for more than 60 days.. in which the site auto del it. T_T  
Secondly, I've been... so busy! College is really crazy, and time management is such an issue right now. As always, I write for myself and myself only, so I don't write unless I'm in the mood/inspired, and therefore won't update. Lol sad excuse for a 2 year absence I know.

In hindsight, I should not have published the story if I wasn't able to finish it. It's looking that way right now, b/c although I have key scenes written already, and I have a good idea how it's going to end, I can't connect it properly. I mean, I can post all the 36 so pages I've written in the past, but would anyone get it? It's so disjointed that I'm the only one who can read it and enjoy the range of emotions that it intended. Bleh. And I really don't want to rush the story as it is...  
In addition, while keeping true to Naruto right now... my original storyline mit not fit so well. I'm not even up to date on Naruto so I might even start going off AU.

_Next Chap Preview? (mit change):_

_He watches as the grotesque bat-woman-creature-monstrosity, whatever it is, swoops after the Konoha shinobi. He knows he should step in and help the guy, but something is stopping him._


End file.
